Buzzworthy
by rachtree
Summary: Nathan has been in the limelight for a while. Peyton is new to it. The paparazzi have invaded their lives. Everyone knows the tabloids aren't the truth. But sometimes they're close. All core characters involved. Endgame couples: Nathan/Peyton, Lucas/Brooke, Clay/Haley/Chris K.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey guys. So I told myself I wasn't going to start another story until I finally finished my first one. But here I am. I couldn't help myself. The other one is nearing its end so I guess it's ok...lol.**

**This fic is set up that it could be multi-chapter (but nowhere near as long as my first fic) if you guys like it and want to see it continue, or it could also stand alone as well if you hate it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.**

_**...**_

_**"La Lakers Nathan Scott and sketch artist Peyton Sawyer seen walking through airport together**__," _blared from the television set of Nathan and Haley's Tree Hill, North Carolina home. _**"A romantic getaway perhaps?" **_the host continued.

"Hales, why you watching that?" Lucas Scott asked, taking the remote from her hand and switching the station to the sports channel.

"Hey!" she huffed. "You realize you don't live here, right?"

"Answer the question," he returned. "Why are you watching it when you know it's crap?"

"Entertainment," she replied smoothly. "And a chance to see my husband."

"One," Lucas said, "you'll see him tonight, and two, you have a weird sense of amusement. I don't know how you do it. All this press is just driving me crazy."

Haley chuckled. "Everyone has to make a living."

"Off spreading lies? Pretty shady, if you ask me."

"You expect anything less from the paparazzi?" she asked. "Peyton's in the big times now, Luke. You'd better get used to it like I had to."

"Like I said, I don't know how you do it."

"I didn't handle it very well for the longest time," she admitted. "If you'll recall that whole Renee scandal last year."

"Oh, I recall," he teased. "You actually bitch slapped a pregnant woman."

She tossed him a dirty look before speaking again. "Yeah, see. I _do _get it, Luke. But think of it this way, at the very least, Peyton's getting exposure."

"Yeah, wrong kind of exposure."

"Hey, no press is bad press."

"Let me just say I whole-heartedly disagree with that statement," Lucas said flatly. "I just wish they'd let up," he added. "This has been going on for weeks now."

"And it'll keep going on until the press realize there's no story there and move on to some other unsuspecting celebrity," she said. "Luke, are you sure you're ready to be married to an upcoming sketch artist? I mean, you're happy for her, aren't you?"

"Of course I am. And I'm so insanely proud of her. It's just this..."

"It _will _blow over, I promise," she told him, patting his leg in understanding. "The press will get bored with them soon."

"I hope you're right."

"In all our years of friendship, have I ever steered you wrong?"

"Well, there was this one time in grade school..., no, I'm kidding. You never have."

"No. So trust me now. And tell me how excited you are that her flight arrives tonight?"

"Pretty excited," he answered, now smiling ear to ear. "I get why she has to go. There's not much opportunity for an artist in Tree Hill. But every time she leaves, I just want to pull her back. But I don't. Instead I count the days for her return."

"Aww. I used to do that. Now, Nathan's gone so much, I kind of lose track."

"I daresay that will never happen to me," Lucas said gallantly. "I will always be counting the days because they're too damn lonely without her."

"You're so sappy," Haley teased.

"And you're _not_?" Lucas countered. "You forget you told me about the romantic dinner you have planned tomorrow night. Brooke watching Jamie? You and Nathan here all alone? Couple glasses of wine? Soft music playing in the background? Bow chicka wow wow..."

"Oh, shut up!" she exclaimed, her cheeks reddening. "What about you, huh? You got something special planned with Peyton?"

"I do," he answered with a wink. "Romantic dinner. Brooke watching Sawyer. Me and Peyton all alone. Couple glasses of wine. Soft music playing in the background. Bow chicka wow wow..."

"Oh my God, stop! Eww!" she cried, pulling a face and shoving him playfully. "And you totally stole my idea," she said with a slap.

"Well you shouldn't have told me," he yelped from the slap.

...

They went together to pick up their spouses at the airport, leaving Jamie and Sawyer with Karen, who was only too happy to look after them.

The flight was a little late, but they kind of expected that, and so they just waited.

Haley was the first to spot them, Nathan's tall and powerful build standing out of the crowd. She ran and jumped in her husband's arms, kissing him eagerly. "I'm so glad you're home," she said. Even if it was only for a few days. She would make the most of those few days.

Peyton and Lucas hugged tightly before he handed her a bouquet of roses and kissed her longingly. When they broke away, Peyton looked over the bouquet, a smile on her face. "Oh Lucas, thank you. They're beautiful."

"Beautiful flowers for my beautiful lady," he returned chivalrously.

Nathan had to roll his eyes before giving his brother a man hug. "What? No flowers for me?" he joked.

"You're not as pretty," Lucas jested in return.

"Well, hell, I'm going back to LA."

"Oh no you don't," Haley stated firmly, gripping Nathan's arm tightly. "You're plenty pretty."

"Thanks," Nathan chuckled, placing a tender kiss to the top of his wife's head.

Haley pulled away from Nathan to embrace Peyton, who she'd missed like crazy as well. "We have to get together before you leave," she told the blonde.

"Yeah, absolutely," Peyton replied. "I can't wait to see everyone. How's Sawyer? Has she grown?"

"You've only been gone two weeks," Haley reminded her.

"Feels like so much longer since I've seen her," Peyton admitted, her cheeks flushed. "I'm sorry. I just hate leaving her. I always feel like I'm gonna miss something."

Lucas took her hand as they headed outside to the car. "Trust me, Blondie. There's nothing about the terrible twos you wouldn't _want_ to miss."

Peyton chuckled heartily, knowing he didn't mean that. It was just difficult to deal with that particular stage. She had to admit, Lucas had a lot more patience for it than she did. "Oh, I thought you'd have that taken care of by now," she jested.

"Yeah, I don't think it's going away anytime soon."

"How's Jamie?" Nathan asked.

"Nate, you've been skyping with him every other day," Haley pointed out. "You know how he is."

"Yeah, I know, but it's not the same. I don't suppose he's grown at all?" he asked. Every time he left and came back, he expected to see a growth spurt in his son, but it never seemed to happen.

"Oh stop," Haley chastised lightly. "He'll get some height on him eventually."

"Not if he takes after _your_ genes," Nathan said.

"Haha. You're lucky you've been away, mister, or you'd pay for that remark."

"What?" Nathan asked innocently. "Hales, I'm 6'2. He doesn't get it from me."

Everyone laughed and still were when they made it to the car.

Nathan threw his bag in the trunk while Lucas took care of Peyton's, teasing her about the fact she had three bags to Nathan's one.

"A girl has more necessities," Peyton argued. "Not to mention I'm here two days longer than Nate is," she went on to explain.

"Sounds like valid reasons to me," Haley said lightly.

"Thank you Haley James Scott. Glad _someone _understands."

Peyton got in front with Luke while Nathan and Haley hopped in the back.

Both Nathan and Peyton slept all the way to Karen's house.

...

"Oh wow, she _did _get bigger," Peyton stated when Karen brought out a sleeping Sawyer.

Everyone rolled their eyes in amusement, knowing full well there was no significant difference in the two-year old in the past two weeks. Peyton was just being sentimental, and feeling guilty for leaving her for work. She wasn't used to it. She didn't know how Nathan could do it.

Nathan, who'd been gone six weeks compared to Peyton's two, took in his sleepy-eyed son who Karen had just woken. Nope, still didn't get any taller, he noted. Not that he cared one way or another. He loved his son. It was simply an observation that he was short. Clearly he would take after his mother. At least he has so far.

He picked him up to sweep him up in a bear hug, not caring that he was eight now. He'd just missed him. Jamie didn't seem to mind either. He was just glad to have his dad home. Plus he was also super sleepy.

Pleasantries and hugs were exchanged with Karen and Andy, but they were kept short since the kids were exhausted. Both Nathan and Peyton promised to stop by the cafe while they were down, and then they were off.

Lucas dropped Nathan, Haley and Jamie off, and then proceeded to their own home.

It wasn't a particularly romantic night in either household. It was late and everyone was tired. But for Nathan and Peyton it was nice to sleep in their own beds again. And for Lucas and Haley it was nice not to sleep _alone _in their own beds again.

...

The next afternoon, Haley, Peyton, and Sawyer met Brooke at Karen's Cafe while Nathan, Lucas, and Jamie went to the Rivercourt first.

Brooke wrapped her arms around her best friend and squeezed hard. "I missed you so much P. Sawyer."

"Missed you too, B. Davis," Peyton replied truthfully.

"Ok," Brooke said, pulling away and clapping her hands in excitement. "Sit. I want to hear everything that's been happening in La and don't leave a single detail out."

Peyton laughed. Of course Brooke wanted to know everything. Well, maybe not _every _single detail, she thought to herself. But she was only too happy to share with Brooke, Haley, and even Karen, who took a break to chat, all the interesting aspects of her newfound glory. "Well," she began, "we had the new gallery opening, and it was a big hit..."

"Of course it was," Brooke boasted confidently.

"I swear all my paintings sold within an hour, I'm not even kidding."

"Of course they did."

"And now they want a dozen more sketches before the next gallery opening across the city, plus at least one or two more for each gallery every week."

"Of course they do."

"It's so much work, though," Peyton said, not really complaining. "I'm not sure I'm up for it."

"Of course you are."

"Brooke, enough with the 'of courses'," Peyton attempted to rebuke sternly, but broke out in giggles instead.

"What? Just trying to support my best friend," Brooke defended.

"And I appreciate that," Peyton told her honestly. "I'm down for all the support I can get."

The three girls sitting with her were quick to tell her she had all their support, making the blonde smile in return.

"Now," Brooke began, edging closer to the end of her seat. "Enough with the work part, and onto the juicy stuff. What's this about a sordid affair I've been reading about _everywhere_?"

"Brooke," Haley admonished. "You realize my husband's included in that supposed sordid affair, right?"

"Oh right, sorry Hales," Brooke played dumb. "No, but seriously guys, I know they're all lies. I just want to know where they're coming from."

"From tabloid writers desperate for a story," Haley answered snarkily.

"Haley's right," Peyton jumped in to say. "Don't pay any attention to the stupid press, Brooke. They're all a bunch of vultures."

"Oh, I know _that,_" Brooke replied. "I just thought maybe it's a publicity stunt or something?"

"It's _something,_" Peyton deadpanned. "No, listen, it just so happens that Nate's the only one I know in LA so we kinda hang out a lot. The media sees this and tries to make something juicy out of it. By far, the worst part of my job."

"Sounds like it," Karen piped up, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Makes me glad for this simple life in this, well not so simple town."

"Yeah," Peyton agreed with her mother-in-law. "It's definitely nice to be home again," she mused. "Oh hey, there's the guys."

Everyone shuffled over to make room and they all hung out at Karen's Cafe for a good two hours before Haley suggested it was time to go.

"And that's my cue to take this little one," Brooke said, grabbing Sawyer from Peyton's reluctant arms, along with the bag Lucas had packed for her. "Ready little man?" she asked Jamie now. He stood up and went to stand with his Aunt Brooke. "Ok," Brooke continued. "We'll see you all tomorrow. Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

With that she left the cafe and the rest of them parted ways.

...

"Smells good," Nathan commented as he came into the kitchen to find Haley stirring a pot over the stove. "Want help?"

"No!" Haley shrieked. "I told you to stay out. This is _your _welcome home dinner and you're not lifting a finger to help cook it."

"Ok, ok," he said, putting his hands up in surrender and laughing at his wife. "I'm gonna go take a nap then. I guess I'm still feeling a little jetlagged."

"A nap, yes. Good idea. Because you're gonna need all your energy for later."

"Sounds promising," he returned with a sexy smirk.

"Here's a little sample," she said provocatively, standing on tiptoes to give him a searing kiss. "Now get," she ordered, breaking the kiss and swatting at him with the spatula.

...

"Mmmm, delicious," Peyton said after tasting a mouthful of the dinner Lucas had prepared. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to seduce me," she added, picking up her wine glass and taking a sip.

"Is that right?" Luke came back with.

"Uh huh."

"And let's say, for argument's sake, that you _did _know better. Would it be working?"

"Well that depends."

"On?"

"What ya got for dessert?" she teased, making Lucas groan in anticipation.

...

Two days passed and Nathan, once again, packed his bag for departure. It was time for him to head back to LA.

"That was way too short a visit," Haley whined. "I wish you didn't have to go back so soon."

"Me too," Jamie agreed, looking equally sad.

Nathan hugged them both reassuringly, but he wished the same thing. It had gone by so fast. "End of season's coming up soon," he said positively. "Then I'll be home so much, you'll be wishing I was gone again."

"No way," Jamie said. "I like when you're home. But it's cool having a famous dad too," he added.

Haley tried to laugh but she wasn't feeling all too joyful right now. "End of season's nearly two months away," she pointed out.

"It'll be here in no time," Nathan told her. "You'll see."

There was a honk outside. Lucas, picking him up to take him back to the airport. Nathan sighed, gave his wife a final kiss goodbye, ruffled his son's head playfully, and then grabbed his bag and was out the door.

...

Lucas stopped for coffee on the way, frowning at the tabloid magazine still on display in the adjoining convenience store.

"Ignore those," Nathan told him. "They kinda go with the territory, you know?"

"Yeah, unfortunately," Lucas replied, still glowering at the tabloid.

"Last year I got some random chick pregnant, this year I'm sleeping with my brother's wife. That's just how it goes, Lucas."

"Doesn't it ever bother you?" Luke wanted to know as they walked back to the car with coffees in hand.

"Sometimes," Nathan answered. "But what are you gonna do?" he added with a shrug.

...

"Can't believe you're leaving _tomorrow_ already," Brooke complained. "I feel like I hardly got to see you."

"Not true," Peyton protested. "We hung out yesterday."

"Yeah, only because Lucas was driving Nathan to the airport."

"Well, I kinda _do_ have to spend some time with my husband," Peyton joked.

"Well, he can share," Brooke pouted. "I knew you first."

Peyton chuckled at her best friend's silly theatrics. "You know, you _could_ fly out to LA and see me some time," she suggested.

"I could," Brooke said, and then her face suddenly lit up as it registered what Peyton had said. "I so _totally _could. And you could show me around, and oh, we could go shopping!"

"That's my girl," Peyton responded with a fond smile.

"I'm so totally on that," Brooke stated, already pulling out her phone to mark her calendar. "Let's see, next week, no, two weeks, no. Ok, I'm gonna have to work this out, but I'll keep you posted."

"Sounds perfect."

...

"Wasn't long enough," Lucas said the next day as they were getting ready to head out to the airport.

"No, it wasn't," Peyton fully agreed. It had been so hard for her to drop Sawyer off at Karen's, knowing she wouldn't see her again for a while.

"Any idea how long before you're back?"

Peyton shrugged her small shoulders. "Depends what they have scheduled. I'm not sure. I'll let you know though."

He nodded solemnly.

"I'm sorry, Lucas. This is hard on you, isn't it?"

"It's hard on everyone," he returned.

"I _could _stay," she offered.

"I'm not gonna ask you to do that, Peyton."

"But..."

"No, you worked too hard to get here. It's time for the world to see your gift. Your art matters and I'm not going to let you give up on it. Sawyer and I will be fine, and we'll be right here waiting for you."

She smiled at her husband, grateful for his love and understanding. After a while, she finally nodded. "We should go then."

"Yeah."

He stopped for coffee again but this time decided to use the drive-through, not wanting to see another one of those tabloids.

He kissed her long and hard before she finally walked away to catch her flight. He hoped it wouldn't be too long before she returned to him and their daughter.

...

She snuck in the back, trying to avoid the paparazzi that always seemed to appear out of nowhere, and used the key he'd given her to get inside.

He was sitting down watching a game on TV, beer in hand, when she came in. "Hey, Nate," she said.

"Peyton, hey," he greeted, setting his beer down on the coffee table beside him. "I didn't know you were back yet."

"Yeah, I got in last night, actually. Just took a taxi straight to the hotel and crashed. I was exhausted."

"You know I would have picked you up," he told her, mild irritation in his voice. She could have called him.

"Yeah right," she scoffed. "Give the vultures something else to run with?"

"Yeah," Nathan acknowledged. "About that," he continued. "You think Haley and Lucas buy it?"

Peyton shook her head. "No. They're not exactly thrilled about it, but I don't think they actually _believe _it."

"Yeah, that's the feeling I got too."

"But it doesn't mean they won't _start _believing it if stories keep popping up."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying if the press keep it up, it's only a matter of time before they _do _believe it."

Nathan stood up, crossing the few feet to Peyton. "So, what do you wanna do?" he asked her.

She lifted her shoulders uncertainly. "I don't know, Nathan. You're more used to all this coverage than I am. What do we do?"

"I don't know," he said. "I guess we be a lot more careful," he added, snaking his arms around her waist and coming in for a kiss.

"Oh God, we're so going to hell," she mumbled just before winding her arms around his neck and kissing him back.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys. So I decided to go ahead and continue. I thank all of you who read the first chapter, and I especially thank those of you who left a comment, even the negative ones. I remind you this is a fictional story, and in no way means I support adultery. On the flip side, we're imperfect humans and often times fall short of the people we should be and make bad decisions. **

**Nathan and Peyton have always been my favorite characters on the show, and one reason for this is because of their tendencies to royally mess up. Also, to me, Nathan was on the verge of cheating several times throughout the series, but never followed through (in my opinion due to the writers' fear of losing the Naley fanbase) so I firmly believe this is a more realistic scenario for a guy who is always so prone to temptation and making wrong choices. I apologize if this offends anyone. I do respect your opinions. For those of you who wish to keep reading, I thank you and hope you enjoy this chapter.**

...

"No! Nathan, stop it!" Peyton laughed hysterically as Nathan's fingers dug into her ribs, tickling her mercilessly.

"You gonna give me one?" he asked, momentarily pausing his hands just above her as he awaited her reply.

"No," she said, stretching her arm out as far away from him as she could get it.

"Ok, you asked for it then," he said, getting back to the tickling frenzy he'd been imposing on her for the past five minutes since he'd pulled her atop him for refusing him a cookie from the bag she'd brought over.

It was a full week since his visit to Tree Hill, five days for Peyton, and they'd gotten back to the routine they'd had before they'd gone, with some minor changes. In the day they both worked at their individual careers, but the nights Peyton stayed at his apartment suite, provided for him from the NBA. He never stayed at her hotel anymore, or even went to it, for that matter. It wasn't nearly as luxurious as his place since she wasn't lucky enough to have her employer set her up in it. Besides that, Nathan's place was better protected against the string of reporters that always seemed to pop out of nowhere. It was much safer there.

She continued to scream and squirm, begging for mercy, but he showed her none.

"Ok, you're enjoying this way too much," she said between gasps of breaths, knowing full well he could easily just take the bag from her hand if he really wanted to.

He smiled slyly, blue eyes sparkling devilishly. His hot blonde lover thrashing around on his lap-hell yeah he enjoyed that. "Give me one," he repeated for probably the dozenth time.

"No," she said just as many times.

The sweet torture continued. Until his cell phone went off in his pocket. Haley's ringtone.

As though Haley could miraculously see them through the phone, Nathan's hands instantly dropped from Peyton's waist, and Peyton nearly leapt off his lap.

"Hey, Hales," he said after pulling his phone out and answering the call. "What's up?"

Peyton went and leaned against the counter, listening with dismay to Nathan's part of the conversation.

"Oh, ok," he said, glancing at Peyton. "Yeah, Jamie'll like that. We can just Skype tomorrow," he added.

Peyton couldn't help notice the disappointment in his tone, even though he tried to hide it. She knew he looked forward to skyping with Jamie, but apparently that wasn't happening tonight. She silently wondered why.

"No, no Haley, it's fine. Go have fun. You deserve a night out," Nathan continued. "Me?" Peyton heard. "Nothing. Just watching TV." He listened a moment. "No plans, no. Probably just finish this movie and go to bed early. What? Oh, uh, I don't know. I was flicking through channels and it looked interesting. Not sure what it's called."

Peyton rolled her eyes. No, he didn't sound suspicious at all. Then again, maybe she was just being paranoid.

"I know," he continued speaking. "I miss you too."

Deep sigh from the blonde listening. But clearly Haley had said it first. What choice did he have?

"I wish I could," he said. And then, "Hey, I love you."

From _him_ first, _that_ one.

That's when Peyton stood up fully and went into the bedroom, away from the present, agonizing one-sided conversation she was hearing. Forgetting they were both married with families was so much easier when it was just the two of them, but reality always had a way of putting its hand in there.

Nathan watched her walk away, wishing she'd look at him so he could at least mouth her an apology. But she didn't look at him, and Haley was still talking to him. "Sorry, what was that?" he asked of whatever she'd said last. "Oh, yeah, ok. Can I maybe just talk to Jamie for a bit first? Thanks." There was a pause as he waited for Haley to transfer the phone to Jamie. "Hey buddy!" he exclaimed when his son took over. "Laser tag, huh? Sounds like fun. ..."

...

Phone call over, Nathan tossed his cell on the coffee table, grabbed his half drank beer bottle, and went to the bedroom where Peyton waited.

"Hey," he said, knowing instantly she was no longer in a playful mood. Knowing it even more when she voluntarily handed him the cookie bag she'd so teasingly resisted giving him before Haley's call. He didn't actually want a cookie though. He'd just been goofing around. "Yeah, she was just calling to say Jamie's staying with a friend tonight because they're going to play laser tag, and since he'll be gone, Brooke's dragging Haley to some play or something."

Peyton nodded silently.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"About what?"

"She doesn't usually call at this time. I wasn't expecting it."

She shrugged her shoulders. "You're her husband," she said dully. "She's well in her rights to call you anytime she feels like it."

Just as she said those words, her own cell phone went off. Lucas.

"Speaking of," Nathan muttered. It was funny how both knew each other's spouses' ringtones. "Tell him you're busy," he added.

"Hey, baby," she said into the receiver, watching Nathan's reaction, satisfied when he pulled a face. "No, I was just working on a sketch, but I could definitely use a break."

Nathan rolled his eyes and stood listening to her conversation.

That is, until Luke apparently asked what she was wearing, and she started telling him about the sexy negligee she had on - which she actually _didn't_ have on. He left then. He didn't want to hear _that._

...

He was well past his first six-pack when Peyton came in the kitchen a while later.

"You're gonna be hung-over for the game tomorrow," she said lightly, noticing how quickly he was guzzling them back.

He shrugged his broad shoulders. "Wouldn't be the first time."

She took the beer from his hand and took a swig before handing it back.

"There's more in the fridge if you want one."

Of course there was. He always had beer in the fridge. She shook her head. "Just needed to wet my throat."

"Yeah, good phone sex always makes me thirsty too," he muttered irritably.

"Thirsty, huh?" she challenged. "Well then, you guys are doing it all wrong."

"Lucas do it right?" he blatantly asked.

"Nathan..."

"D'you fuck him when you went to Tree Hill last week?"

Taken aback, her eyes widened in disbelief. "Did _you _fuck Haley?" she countered, matching his icy tone.

"All night," he answered blithely.

Her face fell at his words, and she crossed her arms over her chest angrily. "I so did not need to hear that."

"You want me to lie instead?" he asked, polishing off his beer and going to the fridge for another. "Because right now," he continued, "you're the only person I can be completely honest with."

She took in his words and nodded in understanding. Ever since their affair started a few months ago, or rather _because_ of it, he'd become that person for her too. "I know what you mean."

"You didn't answer my question," he pressed.

"Do you really _want_ me to?" she asked him.

He stared at her expectantly so apparently he did.

"Fine," she conceded with exasperation. "He's my husband and we hadn't seen each other in two weeks."

"So, that's a yes then?"

"Ok, Nathan, I think you need to lay off the beer. It's making you crazy."

"It's not the beer."

"Then what is it, Nate? Why are you acting like a jealous boyfriend, all of a sudden?"

"Oh, I don't know," he spat. "Maybe because you were just having phone sex with your husband, aka my brother in _my _bedroom."

"Because _you _told your wife, aka my good friend how much you love and miss her right in front of me!"

"What was I supposed to say, Peyton? Ditto? She would have known something was off."

"Except that you said the 'I love you' first," she countered.

"Force of habit," he excused. "I've been saying it to her for almost ten years."

"Ten years," she repeated softly, not much caring for the reminder of what exactly she was tramping on. She sighed, trying to calm herself before speaking again. "Listen, Nate, we're gonna have to figure out what we're doing here because we can't keep going like this. Sooner or later, people are going to find out."

He'd rather later. But he didn't say so. "I know," he said instead. "We'll figure it out."

She smiled now, happy he acknowledged they had something to figure out. "Now would be a good time for one of those fantasy stories," she suggested. "Make us both feel better."

He smiled back and nodded agreeably before pulling her over to the couch. "Alright," he began as his arm went around her and she leaned into him. "It's about two years from now and we're all going to Mexico for vacation..."

"Who's all?"

"All of us. The whole gang."

"Ok. Why Mexico?"

"I don't know. Just go with it."

"Ok."

"It's a couples' vacation..."

"Oh. Well then, wouldn't somewhere like Paris or Jamaica make more sense?"

"The place doesn't matter."

"But it's more romantic."

"Fine. Jamaica then."

"No! A boat cruise!" she exclaimed.

"This _my_ story or _yours_?"

"We could sneak off the boat at night and go skinny dipping."

"Boat cruise it is."

"No wait. It's the middle of the ocean. There'll be sharks."

"Nah, sharks don't exist in this story."

"Nice."

"So, anyway," Nathan continued. "We're there on this cruise. You and me are openly together."

Peyton smiled.

"Lucas is with Brooke..."

"Why Brooke?"

"Because she still has a thing for him since high school and wouldn't sleep with his brother."

"Wow, you really just said that," Peyton deadpanned.

"Sorry. I could put Lucas with Rachel instead."

"No, Brooke it is."

"Tim and Bevin are still together, Mouth and Millie, Chase is with, I don't know, Mia or Alex, whichever one you like better..."

"Definitely Mia," Peyton returned.

"Whatever," Nathan agreed, not really having a preference. "And Haley's with..."

"Chris Keller?"

"Hell no," he replied with a frown. "Haley turned to women after the loss of _me _so _she's _with Alex...or maybe Rachel," he added with a boyish grin.

"What's with guys' obsession with two women?"

"It's hot," he said matter-of-factly. "Now quit interrupting or you'll miss the best part."

"I'm listening."

"We went on this group _boat cruise _because we're all still friends. Nobody was mad when they found out about us, they were all just happy for us, even Haley and Lucas. No, _especially _Haley and Lucas."

"That would be nice."

"Yeah. See, the trip was actually _their _idea so they could throw us an engagement party."

"Oh, we're engaged too?" she asked, loving how he just threw that in there.

"Well yeah, hence the engagement party."

"I see. Go on."

"We all have a great time, we go back to Tree Hill and get married. Lucas is my best man, Brooke's your maid of honor, of course, and Haley, well she's just in the church pews because even though she's happy for us, she can't be a part of the wedding party because it's too hard for her, me marrying someone else..."

Peyton chuckled. "Oh, is it? It's such a breeze for Lucas then, huh?"

"Well, he has Brooke to comfort him."

"And Haley has Rachel."

"But Brooke and Lucas are a real possibility. Haley hates Rachel."

"And then there's Alex," she reminded him.

"Fine, Haley's with Alex and she's a bridesmaid. Jamie's the ring boy and Sawyer's the little flower girl."

"That would be so adorable. What kind of flowers is she holding?"

His brows lifted at her question. "_Regular _ones."

"That narrows it down. Are they roses or carnations or..."

"It doesn't matter about the flowers. At the reception, Lucas makes this grand speech about how great we are together and how he always knew, since high school, that when you dumped me for him, it wasn't the end of us."

"I didn't dump you for Lucas. I dumped you because you were a jackass."

"Oh, whatever. You dumped me and then immediately tried to hook up with him."

"Kinda like how you moved on straight to Haley like, a minute after we broke up?"

"It was more than a minute."

"Not much."

"Ok, well, you want to hear the end of this story or not?"

"Yeah."

"Some time during the reception, Brooke catches your garter thing, and then you and me leave early and go do what we've always done best."

"Fight?"

"No, the _other_ thing," he said. "The end."

"Not bad, Scott," she told him. "Kinda perfect, actually."

"Thanks. I thought you'd like that one."

"Too bad it wouldn't work out that way in real life," she said with a wistful sigh.

"Yeah," he agreed. "But hey, that's what fantasy's for, right?"

"Yep."

"And I'd say it's your turn now, but since you took over half _my_ story, you don't get a turn."

"Well, maybe I had my reasons," she teased him. "Ever think of that?"

"What reasons?"

"Maybe I wanted to combine both stories in one so we could hurry up and get to the thing we do best," she said, smiling coyly.

He smirked sexily. "You could have told me that at the beginning of the story," he replied, laying her back and getting on top of her, his lips on hers mere seconds later. "Wait," he said pulling back to look at her. "This isn't because of the phone sex with Lucas, right?"

She shook her head. "No, it's because I can't stand all this clothes hiding that magnificent body a second longer."

"Well, in that case," he said, pulling his t-shirt off and throwing it on the floor. "Better?"

Much better, she thought. "It's a start," she said.

...

It was a few days later, on a Saturday morning, when Brooke plopped herself down across Haley at Karen's Cafe.

"Hey, girlie," Haley greeted.

"Hi," Brooke returned. "Where's Jamie?"

"Believe it or not, at the news station with Mouth."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he wanted to go and Mouth told him he could so, why not?"

"That's nice of Mouth."

"Yeah. So anyway, how was your date last night?"

"Ugh," Brooke grunted as though Haley had just reminded her of it. "Remind me to never let Millie set me up again."

"That bad?"

"We went to a movie, and the guy paid with _change_ at the snack counter," Brooke huffed.

Haley laughed at her friend. "Is that all?" she asked.

"Is that all?" Brooke gasped in horror. "Maybe you didn't hear me. He paid with change."

"I heard you, Brooke. It just doesn't seem like such a horrible thing to me."

"And did I mention he only bought _one _drink for us to _share_?"

"Well so? Nathan and I do that all the time."

"That's different, Tutor Mom. You and Nathan have been together since the dinosaur age."

"Ha, funny. Still not seeing the difference."

"The difference, oh-so-clueless-married-lady, is it was our first date. On the first date you aim to impress. If he was some broke high school kid, it might have worked, but a highly paid executive? Umm, no. You don't go cheap on the first date when you can afford not to be."

"If he was some broke high school kid, I guess that would make you a cougar," Haley jested, laughing at her own wittiness.

"Haha, you know what I mean."

"Ok, maybe he wasn't being cheap, Brooke," Haley returned reasonably. "The drinks at the theatre are super-sized, they're gigantic. No one can ever finish one on their own."

"And that's why you get two _smalls_ instead," Brooke pointed out stubbornly.

"Well, that's not very practical," Haley came back with. "You get so much more with a large than two smalls for cheaper."

"Practical does not exist on a first date," Brooke argued. "It's all about first impressions."

"And you're going to be single forever if you keep looking for flaws in every guy you go on a date with."

"I don't _look _for them," Brooke defended. "They're just there. You wouldn't get it because you found the perfect guy right away."

"Not _right_ away," Haley denied. "He needed a few..._adjustments_."

"True, but you had him trained in no time."

"Trained? What is he, a dog?"

"He used to be. Now he's the best guy I know."

Haley's face took on a dreamy expression. "I did get pretty lucky, didn't I?"

"You know it, Tutor Mom," Brooke replied. "I swear you got the last good one on this entire planet."

"Oh, that's not true. There are plenty of good guys left out there."

"Yeah, yeah, and I just have to kiss a bunch of frogs before I get my prince, right?"

"Something like that. But seriously, Brooke, the right guy for you is out there. I know it."

"Yeah? Mind pointing me in his general direction?"

"Wish I could," Haley told her sweetly. "Unfortunately, you never know until the time comes. He could be thousands of miles away right now, or he could be right under your nose and you don't even know it."

"Hey, you two," they suddenly heard as a body joined them at their table. "Hales. Cheery."

"Hey, Luke," Haley greeted.

"Broody," Brooke said.

...

"It's a wrap," the guy shooting the commercial said.

"Finally," Nathan muttered under his breath, walking off the set toward Clay.

"Not bad," his agent remarked with humour. "It only took you a dozen or so takes to get it right this time."

"Yeah, real funny," Nathan mumbled. "How many more of these stupid commercials do I have to do? I feel like an idiot," he complained, slipping his shirt back on.

"But you _look_ like a movie star," Clay pointed out. "Trust me, the ladies are going wild."

"Married, remember?" Nathan said, shooting his friend a glare and showing him his wedding ring as though Clay really had forgotten.

"Ah yes, the lovely Mrs. Scott," Clay replied. "Now, you know I could never forget her. But Nate, just because you're unavailable that's no reason not to keep the other ladies drooling and boost your career at the same time."

"Whatever," Nathan mumbled in return. He just wanted to play basketball, not make silly body spray commercials. "I gotta go. I'm meeting Peyton for lunch."

"Uh, about that," Clay began. "As you know, there's been a lot of negative press about you two lately. You sure you should be spending so much time with her?"

"It's lunch, Clay."

"Even so, maybe you should cool it with her for a while."

"Yeah, I'm not gonna do that," Nathan returned belligerently. "I'm the only one she knows here."

"Hey, I'm not trying to bust your balls here, but you know how the paparazzi get. As your agent, I couldn't care less. The more exposure the better. But as your friend...Nate, just think about how all this press is going to affect your family. Remember last year with Renee? It nearly destroyed your marriage."

"Apples and oranges, Clay."

"Is it?"

Nathan's eyes narrowed. "You accusing me of something?"

"No, I'm not. I'm just saying how it might look to your wife..."

"Well, don't worry about it, ok?" Nathan said haughtily. "Thanks for your concern and all, but everything's under control. Haley knows me and Peyton are friends. My marriage is fine."

"Ok, sorry I said anything."

"As for the press," Nathan continued as though Clay hadn't spoken, "it's _your _job, as my agent, to make sure they don't get out of hand. And you haven't done a real great job with that so far."

Clay's jaw dropped and he was about to ask Nathan how he expected him to do his job if he wasn't going to follow his advice at all, but Nathan was out the door before the question could be asked.

Clay shook his head. Nathan was his best friend, but he wasn't always easy to manage. He supposed no athlete ever was, though he certainly could be wrong about that. He shrugged off his irritation as he'd learned to do since becoming Nathan's agent. This wasn't their first disagreement nor, he felt sure, would it be their last.

...

It was late morning the following Sunday, and Nathan and Peyton lay on his king size bed, stripped of all clothing after round two of an extremely pleasurable morning.

"You're right," Peyton nearly purred. "We always were good at this."

"And we've only gotten better," Nathan agreed.

Peyton seconded that and they lie there quietly for several minutes, catching their breath. "So, I've been thinking a lot lately," she said after a while.

"Uh oh," he said, earning him an elbow to the gut. "Ok, sorry. What were you thinking about?"

"Us."

"What about us?"

She sat up and climbed atop him, straddling him.

He ran his hands up her bare legs and a cheeky grin appeared on his face. "More?" he teased. "You might wanna give me a few minutes. I know I'm good but I'm not super-human."

She slapped his hands away with a chuckle. "I'm being serious."

"Ok, I'm all ears," he said, resting his hands at his sides but his smile still firmly in place.

"Nate, I love... being with you," she said seriously.

"I love being with you too."

She nodded before proceeding. "But we both know what we're doing here is so wrong on every level."

"It doesn't feel wrong when we're together," he argued lightly.

"I know. For me either. But it _is_."

"What are you saying, Peyton?"

She took a deep, shaky breath. "I want us to come clean."

"Come clean," he repeated, no trace of humor left on his face.

"Yeah," she confirmed. "So we can be openly together, not just in our fairy-tale life but for real," she revealed. "I want to tell Lucas and Haley about us," she added firmly, watching his expression closely for some kind of sign that he wanted the same thing.

But what she saw didn't look too promising.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys, here's the next chapter. Thanks to all who are reading, and bigger thanks to those who left a comment, and again, even the negative ones, since they have been based (so far anyway...lol) on what is happening in the story itself. I do want to know the good and the bad. And plus I don't exactly disagree with the angry reviews. Nathan and Peyton are absolutely being 100% selfish and thoughtless at this point...lol. **

**...**

The abrupt way he sat up, practically pushing her off him in the process, was extremely disturbing to Peyton, and when he swung his legs over to his side of the bed, turning his back on her, it was even worse.

"I take it you hate the idea," she said cattily.

"Of telling Haley and Lucas about us?" he scoffed. "Yeah. You know we can't do that."

"Because...?"

He turned his head enough to throw her a look that indicated she should know the answer to that. "Because...you _know _why. Do we really have to talk about this right now?"

"I think it's worth a conversation, yeah. And when do you suggest we talk about it?" she asked him. "After they find out on their own?"

Elbows on his knees, he buried his head in his hands, heaving a deep sigh for the discussion he didn't want to be having. Why couldn't she just leave things alone? He was perfectly fine with things as they were. Why couldn't she be too?

She came up behind him, her hands running up his back to his shoulders, massaging the tight knots she found there.

He let her do it for several moments as they both remained quiet, each waiting for the other to say more.

She placed a soft kiss to his shoulder blade. "Don't you want to be together without having to sneak around?" she asked him.

"Sure I do," he returned, standing up and beginning to dress.

She followed suit and soon they were both fully clothed. "But?" she questioned.

"But it's not that easy, Peyton," he told her, already getting frustrated. "There's so much at stake here. It's not gonna go down smoothly like in our fantasy stories where they just immediately forgive us. They're called fantasy for a reason, because it's never gonna happen like that. They're not gonna just...be _cool_ with finding out we've been fucking for the past three months."

His word choice was infuriating, not to mention disheartening. "Fucking? Really? Is that all it's been for you?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "No, but you know what I mean. The point is they're going to react different than in our made-up fairytales. Once we tell them, our marriages are over."

"You say that like I'm some idiot who couldn't possibly understand the consequences of our actions."

"No..."

"I've been thinking about this a lot, Nate," she cut him off. "And I'm ready to face those consequences to be with you openly and without shame. Apparently you're _not._"

"You don't know what you're asking of me," he replied. "I can't lose my family, Peyton."

"_You _can't lose _yours,_" she snapped. "I have just as much on the line as you do, Nathan."

"Which is why I don't understand why you want to do this. Isn't Lucas supposed to be the love of your life?" he questioned. "Your _soul mate?_ Are you ready to say goodbye to him for good? Because that's what's gonna happen. Once he finds out, he's never gonna forgive you. _Or_ me."

"I do realize that," she said a little sadly. "But we both knew the risks when we got into this."

He sighed loudly. Yes, he'd known the risks. But he was thousands of miles from home and had chosen to ignore them.

"The worst damage is already done, Nate," she went on, softly now. "We've already betrayed their trust. They just don't know it yet."

"Well, why can't we keep it that way?"

"Because Nathan, we both know this is wrong."

"We also both know it's gonna crush them if they find out. Apparently you're good with that."

"No, of course not," she returned hotly. "But they'll be even more crushed if they find out some other way."

"There's no guarantee they'd _ever _find out," he said.

"No guarantee they _wouldn't_ either. Especially with the paparazzi on our heels half the time."

His response to that was a deep growl and he started pacing the room.

"Nathan," she pressed.

"What, Peyton?" he snapped. "I hear you, ok? But..." He let out another deep sigh. "You can't expect me to just up and walk out on my family."

"Your _marriage_, Nate," she corrected. "Jamie will still be your son either way."

He shook his head. "But his parents splitting up is still gonna affect him. See, you're lucky with that. Sawyer's not old enough to understand."

She grew quiet for a moment. He had her there. "So you're going to stay in an unhappy marriage for Jamie's sake? Somehow I don't see that as the best thing for anyone, including him."

"It's not really an unhappy marriage though," he told her. "I mean, we have our problems sometimes, but it's mostly my fault. Haley, she's pretty much been my... _lifeline_ since we were sixteen. She's always been there to help me through _everything._ Because of her I've never had to face anything alone." He stopped pacing now and continued. "I've put her though a lot in the last ten years. I'm pretty sure breaking my wedding vows would be the last straw for her. I don't think I can do it."

"You already have, Nathan. Haley not knowing about it doesn't make it any less a fact. You walked out on your marriage the day you started sleeping with _me_."

The comment made him unreasonably angry. "Oh, listen to you. You're Miss Innocent, right? I don't remember having to twist your arm to get you in my bed."

"No, you didn't," she admitted. "But, unlike you, I didn't risk my marriage on a meaningless fling. You should _know_ that."

"Unlike me?" he centered on. "What? You think I'm just killing time here with you?"

"From what you've told me tonight, it seems so, yeah," she screamed. "Clearly you never meant to take it further since you obviously have no thoughts of leaving your wife."

"I didn't even know _you _had thoughts of leaving your _husband_," he shouted back.

"Really?" she scoffed. "So you assumed I'd be satisfied with this arrangement indefinitely?"

"I didn't think about it at all," he declared. "I thought you and Lucas were happy."

"Like you and Haley."

"It's been pretty smooth sailing for us since the Renee thing last year, yeah."

"Only because she doesn't know about us, Nathan."

"My point exactly. Why ruin a good thing?"

"But are you truly happy?" she asked him. "Because there's a big difference between being _happy_ and not being _un_happy."

He didn't answer her. He wasn't really sure how.

"Okay," she yelped. "You know what, Nathan? You're right. Lucas and I _were_ happy. Until I went and fooled around with his ass of a brother! And now I can't even imagine staying in my marriage, knowing how many vows I've broken to be with you. But if you think you can do that with Haley, pretend like nothing's happened, then by all means, you go ahead and do it. Just know that _I_ can't."

"Peyton..."

"I'm still gonna confess my part when I go home next weekend," she told him. "Lucas deserves to know the truth. _All_ of it, but don't worry I won't go _that_ far. I'll leave your name out of it."

With that she snatched her purse and headed toward the door.

"Come on, Peyton, don't go," he called out to her. "I do want to be with you."

"Oh, I know you do," she turned to say. "But the problem is you want to be with Haley too, and it doesn't work that way, Nathan. You don't get to keep your wife _and _your mistress. It's either me or her. If it's me, then call me and I'll rush back here. If it's her, then I guess we're done. Oh, and for the record, the way you explain your feelings for Haley sound a lot more like gratitude and dependency than love."

She slipped out the door with that, tears running down her cheeks as soon as she closed the door, and even more as it became clear he wasn't coming after her.

He plopped himself down on the nearest chair, rubbing his face with both hands and listening to the click of her heels as she walked down the hallway, until the sound was no more. He wanted to run after her, pull her back in and convince her to stay with him. He almost did.

But instead he called Haley

...

Lucas sat on the couch beside a sleeping Sawyer when Brooke barged in the front door, a look of pure panic on her face. "Ok, I got here as fast as I could," she said, out of breath. "What's the emergency?"

Lucas shot up quickly, shushing the brunette so she wouldn't wake up Sawyer.

"Don't shush me, Lucas Scott," Brooke ordered, though she'd lowered her voice to a whisper. "You're the one who left an urgent message on my voice mail."

His eyes squinted as he gazed at her in wonder. "Did I say _urgent_?" he asked. "Because I don't recall saying _urgent_."

"You _implied_ it," Brooke returned.

"Did I? I don't think..."

He was cut off his remark when Brooke pressed a number on her phone to play back his earlier message.

**'**_**Brooke, hey, you think you can come over here after work? It's Sawyer. I...please just come as soon as you can.'**_

Brooke threw him a stern look as his expression turned to mild guilt. "You were saying?"

"Ok, yeah, that definitely implied _urgent_."

"Right?"

"But in my defence, I was frustrated and desperate, and if I meant it to sound like an emergency, I would have said come _now_."

"Yeah, not helping, Broody. Do you know how many speed limits I broke getting here? Not to mention, I pulled a P. Sawyer and ran a red light, _and _ran half a block in these shoes because I couldn't find a closer parking spot with all the damn construction going on," Brooke whisper yelled. "All because I thought something terrible had happened to Sawyer. Now, what do you have to say for yourself, Lucas?"

"Uh...sorry?"

She smacked his chest hard. "Sorry? No. Do you have any idea how hard it is to run on gravel in six inch heels?"

"Can't say that I do," he answered, humor in his deep blue eyes and a smile playing on his lips.

"Don't you laugh, mister. You really scared me!"

His face went serious then, and he placed his hand over his heart. "I'm sorry. Truly."

"Ok, that's better," she said, kicking off her shoes and coming further inside. "Now tell me, what's the urgent sounding non-emergency?"

"Nothing crucial," he assured her. "Just trying to get some writing done, which is nearly impossible with a two year old running around, getting into everything, taking temper tantrums. I put her down for a nap, she cries. I make her food, she throws it. I put her in her play pen, she just gets out. She's too big for it now, obviously. My editor wants two chapters by the end of the week, and I'm trying my best but there's no time. By the time Sawyer goes to sleep at night, I'm so exhausted, I'm ready for bed too, and I'm trying not to show my frustration with her, but..."

"Ok, Luke, Luke, _breathe_," Brooke instructed him. He was never one to ramble so she knew he must be at his wit's end. "What do you need from me?"

He took a deep breath as she said and gazed at her sheepishly. "I was hoping you could take her for a few hours, just so I can, at least, get my chapter outlines done, but she just fell asleep so...I'm sorry. I should have called you back to let you know not to bother."

"First of all, it's no bother. I love that little girl, Luke. You know that."

"Yeah, I know, but you worked all day and..."

"Actually, I bark orders through most of it," she said. "I so love owning my own company," she went off topic. "But anyway, second of all, you do _not_ have to wait until you're ready to pull your hair out to call me. I'm here for you, Lucas." Looking away from his intense gaze, she added, "What are friends for, right?"

He nodded his head. "You're right. I know."

"Of course I'm right. I'm Brooke Davis, I'm always right," she boasted. "But seriously, Luke, you have me and Haley and your mom, and a bunch of other people who are willing to step in and help out. It's not wrong to take advantage of that."

"Yeah, except you all have full time jobs that you go to in the day," he said. "God, it was so much easier before Peyton went to L.A."

"Ever consider investing in a daycare?" Brooke asked him. "You'd have the whole day to concentrate on your writing and the evenings and nights with Sawyer."

Lucas shook his head. "Can't afford it," he said. "Not while paying the mortgage here and Peyton's hotel in L.A., plus her flights back and forth every other weekend. The measly pay cheque she gets as a beginner artist barely covers her rent and food, and the proceeds from my first two books are covering the other expenses, but those are starting to dwindle. I have to get on this third book, or else find another job."

"So you're saying Peyton working in L.A. is actually costing you more than she's making?"

"For now, yeah. Until she gets established, I suppose. Once that happens, we should be fine."

"Luke, if you guys are struggling financially..."

"I'm not going to ask you for money, Brooke," he declared. "We're ok. We're getting by. We just have to forgo the extras for now."

"Ok, but if you _do_ need money, don't be afraid to ask. I'm sure Nathan and Haley would say the same thing. Lord knows, they have more than they'll ever need. I know they'd be happy to help out."

"So do I, which is why I haven't told them any of this," Luke said. "I don't want them feeling obligated to support the _older_ brother."

"Luke, that's silly. They're family. And you're only older by three months."

"Still, I don't want to bother them with this. This is mine and Peyton's problem, not Nathan and Haley's."

"Luke..."

"Brooke, we'll be fine, alright. We're not starving yet."

She nodded. "Ok," she conceded, no match for his male pride. "So I don't suppose I could interest you in going to L.A. with me either?"

"You're going to see Peyton?"

"Uh huh, booked my flight for Wednesday," she said elatedly. "I'm gonna surprise her."

Lucas smiled at her enthusiasm. "Well, as much as I'd love to go see her, I have to pass. Unfortunately, it's not in our budget right now, and before you offer to pay for it, thank you, but no."

"Huh, it's for the best. I want Peyton to myself anyway. Lotta girl talk to catch up on."

"You know Nathan's there too," he pointed out. "And they've been hanging out a lot."

She shrugged carelessly. "He can deal for two weeks."

"Is that how long you're there?"

"A week and a half, actually. Yeah, I leave Wednesday, and I figured I could come back next weekend the same time as Peyton."

"And she doesn't know you're going?"

Brooke shook her head vigorously. "She has no idea. I mean, she knows I'm planning to go at _some_ point."

"But not Wednesday."

"Exactly! She's gonna be so surprised. I can't wait to see her face!"

The increase in Brooke's volume was enough to wake the little girl on the couch. "Aunt Brooke!" Sawyer exclaimed. Okay, it came out more like 'Et Book', but that was alright. Everyone who knew her could understand her perfectly.

"Hey, sweetie," Brooke returned, scooping her into her arms. "Me and you are going to hang out a little bit while your Daddy gets some work done. Sound good to you?"

The child smiled and nodded, her little blonde ringlets bouncing wildly.

"Me too. We're gonna go _shopping_. It's gonna be so much fun."

"Go shopping," Sawyer repeated.

"That's right. Say bye bye to Daddy."

Lucas and Brooke both laughed when Sawyer merely waved at her dad on her way to the door.

"Hey," Luke protested, picking his daughter up. "Hug and kiss first."

The girl obliged and then immediately squirmed to be let down.

As Brooke helped her with her shoes, Lucas came to stand by them. "Thank you for this, Cheery."

"Anytime," she answered. "Well, except Wednesday to next weekend, that is."

He chuckled. "Hey, do me a favor?" he asked. "_Another_ favor?" he amended. "Don't bring her back with a new wardrobe. Her closet's still overstuffed from your _last_ shopping spree."

Brooke lifted a shoulder. "Sorry, no promises," she returned with a dimpled smile before scampering out the door with Sawyer.

The door closed and he laughed softly. He could just imagine all the new clothes and toys they were sure to come back with.

...

Peyton sketched frantically in her sketch pad, all the while wondering if she was really cut out for this. She was feeling very down on herself.

Down that after all the efforts she'd put into her sketches this week, her manager had dismissed all but two of them.

Down that he'd said the two keepers were great, but the others any mediocre artist could have drawn. Definitely not her best, he'd said. Of the dozen sketches she'd had two weeks to produce, it was disheartening to learn she'd have to redo eight of them, plus the two she had yet to start. She'd thought she was ahead of the game, having a full week still to work on the last two.

And she was down because it was Wednesday, three days since she'd given Nathan her ultimatum and she hadn't heard from him since. She supposed that meant he'd stuck with his decision to remain in his marriage. She wasn't really surprised, considering how long they'd been together. She'd been foolish to think he'd ever leave Haley for her. Even more foolish to consider the possibility that he could ever love her as much as he loved Haley.

She was an idiot to entertain the idea that he'd developed feelings for her again as she'd done for him. Yes, as much as Lucas meant the world to her, as much as she'd always loved him, she, unfortunately, had fallen head over heels _in_ love with his brother.

She didn't dare tell Nathan so. She was afraid to. Love had never been a part of their vocabulary with each other. Not when they'd dated in high school, and not over the last few months. The furthest he'd ever come to revealing any emotion for her had been the few times he'd told her he'd always have feelings for her, and that was way back when they were teenagers.

She'd thought - or rather _hoped_ - that he was just scared too. But she had to conclude now that it wasn't fear holding him back. He simply didn't love her. It made her glad she hadn't told him the extent of her feelings.

She looked up from her sketch when her hotel door suddenly swung open and the object of her thoughts, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

Tossing aside her sketch pad, she automatically checked the blinds to ensure they were closed. They were. "What are you doing here?" she asked him. They'd agreed this wasn't a safe place to meet. "Did anyone see you?"

"No, I've learned how to dodge the press by now," he said.

"Could have fooled me," she countered. "Considering all the media attention we've had lately."

He shrugged indifferently. "You don't see any naked pictures of us out there, do you?" he pointed out. "And to answer your first question, I'm here because I wanted to see you. I miss you, Peyton."

She didn't say anything back.

"Okay," he said definitively.

"Okay what?" she asked.

"We'll tell them."

Her expression clearly indicated her shock. "Really?"

No sooner had he nodded his head was she in his arms, hugging him tightly, taking his compliance as her sign that he truly did care and wanted to be with her.

"I just need to ask for one thing," he said.

She pulled away apprehensively. "What's that?"

"Time," he said. "I want to wait until basketball season's over," he said.

"You're stalling."

"No, I just don't want to do it over the phone or in a voice mail. It should be face to face."

She nodded agreeably. "Okay, yeah, you're right. It _should _be. It's what? Five weeks?"

"Six."

"Okay," she told him. "In six weeks we tell them," she said firmly, feeling good about that decision, not even considering the possibility that he was lying through his teeth. "And in the meantime?" she asked.

He lifted his shoulders uncertainly. "That's up to you."

She sent him a flirtatious smile and pushed him backward against the wall, bringing her lips to his for a fiery kiss.

He kissed her back and let her fingers fumble with the buttons of his shirt. Just six more weeks of this. He'd have to make the best of it.

...

Meanwhile, Jamie came and plopped himself heavily on the couch beside Haley, who was currently grading papers.

She heard her son sigh deeply and glanced over at him. "What's the matter, kiddo?" she asked, seeing he looked quite desolate. "Why the long face?"

"Dad didn't come online yet," he answered with a pout. "He's late."

"He'll be on," Haley assured him. "I'm sure his practice just ran late or something."

"I guess," Jamie said, still looking down. "But then I'll get less time to talk to him."

"Yeah, but you can make it up next time, right?" she asked in an attempt to console him.

"Yeah," he said with a sigh.

"Besides," Haley went on. "Your dad will be home in six weeks and you'll get to talk to him all the time."

"But I want to talk to him right now," Jamie countered. "We always Skype at this time."

"I know you do, honey. But, you know what? I'm betting if you went and checked again, he'd be on," Haley replied confidently.

"You think so?"

"I do."

"Cool. I'm gonna go check right now," he said, scurrying up to his room where he had his own computer.

Haley chuckled as she watched him speed off, but she wasn't smiling when he returned about a half hour later and told her his dad still hadn't logged on. "Oh, you know what this calls for, don't you?"

"What?"

"Ice-cream!"

"Yes!" he exclaimed in return.

"I thought you might like that. So why don't you go scoop us each a bowl while I finish these papers?"

"Ok," he agreed and was off.

Haley shook her head and picked up the landline once Jamie had disappeared into the kitchen. She dialed Nathan's cell and waited for him to pick up, cursing under her breath when she got his voice mail.

_**'Hey baby**_,' she said into the phone. _**'Just calling to say you missed your Skype session with Jamie and he's really disappointed. I know you're probably really busy and everything, but he looks forward to these talks with you so if you can get yourself to your computer, that'd be great. Love you.'**_

She ended the call, not knowing at the time that that was just one of several messages she'd leave her husband that night.

Jamie returned with the ice-cream and she gave him a sympathetic smile. "Thanks sweetie," she said when he handed her one of the bowls. "And listen, don't be sad about tonight, ok? Your dad wants to talk to you. He's just super busy right now."

...

He plunged into her in one swift motion, a deep growl escaping his lips at the sensation of it. They'd moved to the bed now, and he was atop her, inside her, pressing his full length in and out as she met him thrust for thrust, her hands running down his back, her legs wrapped around him, cries of ecstasy falling from her full, sensual mouth.

"Oh God, Nathan," she moaned as they continued their steady, rhythmic motion for several minutes. "Faster," she pleaded, her body arching up to meet his.

Gasping for breath, he raised himself up to his knees, gripping her hips tightly, and increasing the tempo. He groaned again, feeling his own release creeping up. "I'm gonna cum," he told her breathlessly, speeding up even more.

He closed his eyes, almost there.

His fingers dug into her hips. He was so close.

She writhed beneath him, her moans getting louder.

Any second now he was going to explode. He groaned from deep in his throat.

He was there, ready to spill. His body tensed in preparation. But instead of that sweet release...

"Surprise, P. Sawyer! I'm here!" And then...

"Oh. My. God!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ok guys, here's the next one. I hope it's satisfactory. I'm definitely not used to writing angry Brooke...lol. Thanks to all who are reading, and of course, reviewers, I appreciate every single comment so continue to feel free to express any good or bad feelings about the story.**

...

A bucket of ice! That's what Brooke's sudden and unexpected appearance felt like. Like the ceiling had literally opened up, and from it dropped a giant bucket of ice cubes all over his body, effectively killing the state of arousal he'd been in just seconds prior, leaving in its wake a cold and harsh shock to his entire system.

He hopped off the blonde, who wore his exact same expression of astonishment, as though frozen water had actually fallen upon him, and instinctively grabbed for the covers, his breathing still labored from his previous activities.

"Brooke!" Peyton spoke before _he_ was even able to find his voice. "Wh-wh...?" Clearly she was having trouble too. "What are you... doing here?" she finally managed, though quite shakily and still out of breath herself.

"No, what are _you_ doing here?" Brooke asked, her mind reeling from what she'd just walked into. "Oh my God!" she repeated. "I can't believe you two...oh my God, oh my God, oh my God...I must be seeing things...are you freaking _serious_ right now!? This is what you guys call _hanging out_?" Brooke screamed, her face going red with rage.

"Brooke," Peyton tried to speak again while Nathan continued to silently process what was happening. "This isn't..."

"What it looks like?" Brooke scoffed.

Peyton shook her head to indicate it wasn't what she was going to say. She wasn't entirely sure what she _did _want to say but it certainly wasn't _that_ seeing as it quite obviously was _exactly_ what it looked like.

"Save it," Brooke fumed. "You both are backstabbing assholes! I can't believe you'd do this to Lucas and Haley!"

"Brooke, let us explain," Peyton requested.

"Explain what? That you two are here screwing around while your husband and his wife are at home, holding down the forts and taking care of the kids so that you both can supposedly pursue your careers? Do you even actually have a job or is that just an excuse to be here so you can jump your husband's brother's bones?"

"I do have a job, Brooke. Just listen..."

"God," Brooke cut her off. "It's a good thing you and Luke are broke, otherwise he would have come with me today and gotten a front row seat to exactly what you've been _working_ on!"

The thought of Lucas seeing that made Brooke's stomach churn. She clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle the nausea that threatened to erupt. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

She threw the pair on the bed a final glare and ran out the door, no idea what she would do now that her plans to stay with Peyton were out of the question.

Peyton tossed Nathan her own dirty look before standing up and throwing her bathrobe on. "Thanks for your help there Mr. 'got nothing to say'," she tossed over her shoulder. She glanced at him again and shook her head at the dazed state he seemed to still be in. "Oh, don't get up," she said sarcastically. "I'll talk to Brooke on my own."

He still didn't answer so she went out the door Brooke had just vacated seconds before. She found the brunette in the middle of the lobby, bent over and taking deep breaths, trying to control the physical reaction to the secret she'd just learned. Tears welled in Peyton's eyes as she approached her best friend, wanting nothing more than for her to understand. "Brooke," she called out when she was but a few feet from her.

Brooke's head snapped up, noticing the blonde was crying. "Tears, Peyton?" she scoffed. "Nice touch, really."

"Brooke, you're my best friend. I need you to let me explain. I need you to understand."

"Being your best friend doesn't count for much when you clearly have no regard for _any_ of your friendships or anyone's relationships."

"That's not true."

"Isn't it? You did this to me _twice _in high school with Lucas and then a few years ago to Lindsey. I thought that was all over now that you had Lucas to yourself, but apparently it's Nathan's turn now."

"I love him, Brooke. I'm _in_ love with him."

"Nathan?"

"Yes. He doesn't know it, but..."

"You know what? I don't care! Loving him, if you even actually do, doesn't make this any less of a skank move. It didn't make _me_ feel better when you used that excuse, it didn't make Lindsey feel better, and I _guarantee_ it won't make Haley or Lucas feel better."

"We didn't plan for this happen," Peyton said. "But it did, and we were gonna tell them after basketball season was done. We want to be together, Brooke. As a real couple. This isn't just some fling for either of us."

Brooke gave her the most scornful of looks. "Sounds like this has been going on for a while."

Peyton took a deep, shaky breath. "About three months," she revealed.

"Three months? That's almost the whole time you've been in L.A."

"Almost," Peyton admitted.

"Wow," Brooke said in amazement. "Gold star to both of you for hiding it so well and being such accomplished _liars_. The media's been all over you guys and you still managed to fool the lot of us. Bravo."

"Listen," Peyton began. "We both feel awful about lying to everyone..."

"Really? _That's_ the part you feel awful about? The _lying_ about the cheating? Cause, you know, without the cheating, the lying would have been ruled out as _unnecessary_."

"It's done, Brooke, and we can't change what's already happened. We weren't sure what we were going to do, and we finally decided, just today, actually, that we have to tell them."

"To spare them further humiliation or so you can be together in the open?" Brooke asked coldly.

"Both," Peyton replied. "Look, I know it's no excuse for what we did, but I really do love him."

"Yeah? So what?" Brooke snapped. "Guess who else really loves him? Oh, I know, _Haley_, considering she _married_ him. Remember her? Your _friend_?"

"Yeah, and I feel horrible..."

"I doubt that, but you _should_," Brooke cut her off. "Hey, you know what _real_ friends do when they have feelings for their friend's husband?"

"Brooke..."

"They _bury_ them. And when said guy happens to also be your husband's brother, you bury them even deeper. Know why? Because that's the right thing to do, morally and ethically. But you obviously don't know anything about human decency."

Peyton started crying harder. "I know," she said. "I wish I was that strong, but I'm not and I can't help how I feel."

"It's not about how you feel or about being strong. It's about being someone who puts other peoples' needs above their own. It's about respecting your friends. Honoring the sanctity of marriage. Not being a home wrecker. If you two wanted to be together so bad, you should have ended your marriages first, not have your spouses waiting at home, trusting you to be faithful."

"I know," Peyton acknowledged. "I wish we would have done that..."

"Too late for wishing," Brooke said firmly.

...

Meanwhile, Nathan snapped out of his daze and was suddenly feeling quite paranoid. He jumped out of bed, proceeding to put his clothes back on, panic engulfing him as he did so. His heart raced erratically in his chest as he felt his worst fears about to become reality.

Of all people to walk in on them, it had to be Brooke. She was the worst person, aside from Haley or Lucas themselves, who could have caught them in their deception. He didn't much care what Brooke thought, except that he knew it would get back to Haley. That's what worried him.

He was about to lose his family.

Unless he could convince Brooke to keep quiet. He didn't figure he stood much chance of that, but he was desperate enough to give it a shot. He walked out the door, still in the process of buttoning up his shirt.

Peyton was relieved to see him finally heading down the lobby, even though she wished he'd have completely finished dressing beforehand, simply to evade any snarky comment Brooke might make over it. Maybe he could explain better than she the overwhelming feelings that encompassed them when they were together and their shared inability to ignore those feelings. Lord knows, she wasn't doing a very good job of making it clear.

She sent him a grateful smile, but was taken aback when he looked right through her and went to Brooke, his expression taking on a look of desperation. He grabbed hold of her arm, not forcefully, but not exactly gently either. "Brooke," he began, his tone frantic. "You can't tell Haley about this...please."

It might have been a cockroach crawling up her arm the way she swatted him away, repulsion marking her features. "Eww, get your hands off me," she ranted. "I _know_ where they've been."

Nathan rolled his eyes at her dramatics and held both hands up in a sign of surrender. "All right," he said. "Just...don't tell Haley, ok? Please."

She threw him a look of disdain. "What? Don't tell her that her husband's been playing at more than just basketball in L.A.? I think that's something she ought to know."

"Brooke, I'm begging you," he returned, the anxiety evident in his tone. "Please don't tell her about this. I don't want to lose her."

"Huh, maybe you should have thought of that before sticking your dick into _PEYTON!" _the brunette hollered.

"Look, I know, ok. I screwed up..."

"Well, that's putting it mildly," Brooke replied, unyielding. "I can't believe I actually thought you were one of the _good _ones. I honestly believed you had changed for Haley."

"I did. I have."

"Not from where I'm standing. Oh no wait, that's not true. You did change. You got _worse_. Instead of being the assy boyfriend who constantly cheated on Peyton, now you're the assy husband cheating _with _her. How could you do this to your own brother? Your _brother,_ Nate."

"It was a mistake alright. I..."

"_A_ mistake?" she scoffed. "As in singular? As in _one_ time?"

"One time, yeah."

Brooke glanced over at Peyton's stricken and devastated expression, and turned back to Nathan. "So, not three months worth of mistakes?"

Nathan felt his heart skip a beat even as it raced erratically in his chest. Damn it, she knew. Even so, he pulled a face. "Come on, no way. It was a one and only time thing and, like I said, it was a mistake."

"Right. So I suppose you also weren't making plans to tell Lucas and Haley about the two of you after basketball season?"

"What? No. There was nothing to tell before today."

To Nathan and Peyton's surprise, Brooke started to laugh. "Wow," she said. "You two really should have gotten your stories straight before you went and got caught."

Nathan sighed deeply at the sarcastic comment, but before he could press his case further, footsteps were heard in the lobby and soon Clay appeared before them.

"Buddy, there you are," Clay said to Nathan. "I've been calling you for more than an hour. Why aren't you answering your cell?"

It was in Peyton's hotel room was all Nathan could think.

"Haley called me," Clay informed him. "Because you weren't picking up. She's worried sick, man. She thought something happened to you since you missed your chat thing with Jamie."

Nathan's face suddenly went pale. "What? No. What time is it?"

"Almost 11:30."

Closing his eyes in shame, Nathan ran his hands over his face. Shit.

"Oh, that's perfect, Nate," Brooke huffed. "You forgot about your own son."

"I didn't forget about him," Nathan denied vehemently. "I lost track of time."

"Gee, wonder how that happened," Brooke muttered in the same angry tone.

"You know what Brooke? Just shut up, will ya?" Nathan replied in frustration.

"Ok, what's going on here?" Clay wondered aloud.

"Ask Hoebags one and two," Brooke returned dryly, indicating Nathan and Peyton.

Clay glanced from one to the other, instantly clueing in. It wasn't that hard seeing as Peyton was in a robe and Nathan's shirt was only half buttoned and neither one wore any shoes. He shook his head. "I knew it," he said, having suspected something like this before but dismissing it when Nathan denied it. "I knew there was more than just friendship between you two, even though you swore to me there wasn't."

Nathan didn't respond, not overly concerned about Clay.

And Clay knew it too, as well as the reason for it. He shook his head again. "You know, Nathan, I covered for you with the others, but this...this is a whole new ballgame. No more, buddy."

Nathan cursed under his breath. This is what Clay called covering for him? Sure, he _had_ at the time but now he spills the truth in front of Peyton and Brooke? He could feel the two girls' gazes boring into him. Great. Just fan-fucking-tastic.

"What others?" Peyton instantly questioned. "What is he talking about?"

"Nothing."

"Right," Clay said. "Nothing but a couple dozen drunken one night stands, huh Nate?"

Nathan glared at the man before him, wondering what the hell he was doing. First of all, he highly exaggerated those numbers, and second of all, he was his friend. He always had his back. Why would he out him like this? "Clay...?" he began in bewilderment.

"Not drunk _now_ though, are you?" Clay cut him off to ask. Another shake of his head and he spoke again. "You have no idea how much respect I just lost for you," he said with finality, leaving Nathan feeling stunned. "Call your wife," he added before turning around and walking back the direction he'd come from.

Left alone with Peyton and Brooke again...ok, maybe just Brooke since Peyton was currently storming back to her room, Nathan heaved a great sigh. Brooke was looking at him like he was lower than dirt and he didn't figure there was any chance of getting out of this now.

"You make me sick," she spat and then spun on her heels and walked out.

"Brooke...," he called out but she wouldn't stop and he knew running after her was pointless. She was going to tell Haley and nothing he could say would change her mind. Damn it. There went their forever and always.

He made his way back to Peyton's room, cursing when he found the door locked. She never locked up so he knew it was just to keep him out. He banged on the door in frustration. He was in no mood for this. "Peyton, open up," he demanded.

"Go to hell!" she shouted in return.

He pounded harder, finding it hard to keep his annoyance at bay. "Open the damn door, Peyton before I knock it off its hinges. I need my stuff."

The door opened and she practically whipped his shoes and phone at him before attempting to close it again.

He was just going to leave, in no mood to explain anymore, but the tears streaming down her face got to him and he pushed his way inside. His strength far surpassing hers, he managed it quite easily.

"You need to go," she spoke harshly.

"Peyton..."

"I mean it, Nathan. Get the hell out!"

"Look, I'm sorry, ok? I had to lie to Brooke to try to save my family. You understand that? I had no choice."

"There's always a choice," she countered. "And what I understand is that you've been lying to me the whole time," she fumed. "You said I was the only person you could be honest with, but you lied. You never planned to tell Lucas and Haley about us. _I'm_ the one you were gonna say goodbye to in six weeks."

He denied it. She didn't believe him.

"You know, for a minute I thought Brooke catching us might actually be a blessing in disguise. That way we wouldn't have to face telling them. But I can see how that's a problem for you since you didn't plan to say anything at all. You don't want Haley to know, not now, not in six weeks, not _ever_! Well, screw you, Nathan! I'm not gonna be your dirty little secret like all the others!"

"There are no others, Peyton," he argued.

She rolled her arms and crossed her arms over her chest. "Is that your story? Cause I didn't see you denying it when Clay was here."

"Alright, ok, so there _were_ others? Not twenty-two of them..."

"Twenty-four."

"What?"

"Two dozen makes twenty-four, not twenty-two."

"Whatever. It wasn't that many and..."

"How many then?"

"I don't know, Peyton. I didn't count them."

"So enough of them to lose count."

He growled in irritation. "Whatever the number," he began, "I was drunk off my ass every time. I don't remember most of them, and it hasn't happened in over a year, ever since I quit going to the parties."

Peyton gasped as a sudden realization struck her. "Renee..."

He shook his head to deny what he knew she was about to say. "Renee was a lying, scheming bitch going after a rich guy to line her own pockets. I never touched her. We flirted a little but that's it."

She eyed him suspiciously. Did she believe him? With all the lies he'd been telling, she wasn't so sure.

"I'm telling the truth," he said, recognizing her doubt. "I never slept with her. But she _was_ my turning point."

"What does that mean?"

"I was wasted at that party, much like every other party," he began to explain. "The truth is, when she accused me of knocking her up, I wasn't entirely sure that I _hadn't_. The only reason I know we didn't have sex that night is because my dad proved it on his TV show. And that scared the hell out of me, that I could go get so hammered and do stuff that could change my life forever. How my own stupidity could end up costing me everything." He shook his head and took a deep breath before continuing. "That's when I decided no more parties. I figured I could just drink at home...well, my apartment, and start getting back to being the guy Haley married. I was doing pretty good too."

"Until I came to L.A.?" Peyton guessed.

He nodded. "It's different with you," he said. "I didn't want to stop. I still don't."

"Don't say that when you still want to be with Haley."

"I'm sorry. I just don't know how to be without her. Look at the kind of guy I turn into when I'm just _away_ from her. If I lose her for good, I'll probably end up being a worse person than my dad."

His comment made her angry. "Yeah, that's right, Nathan. Credit or fault Haley for everything you do because God forbid you should have to be responsible for your own actions."

He didn't know what to say to that so he didn't say anything.

"Did you ever care about me at all?" she asked him.

He eyed her strangely for the unexpected question. "Of course I did. I _do_ care about you, Peyton. I thought you knew that."

"Yeah, sometimes it felt like I did know that," she replied. "Other times, like in the lobby just now, it's hard to believe. I had my best friend turning on me for being with you, and there you were practically telling her we were nothing to each other."

"I said I'm sorry about that. I wasn't trying to hurt you."

"Well, you did. You've made it pretty clear that if it's a choice between me and Haley, she'll always win. And, on that note, you should go now. She's trying to reach you, remember?"

"Peyton..."

"Nathan, please just go."

He sighed but did as she told him, walking out the door without even looking back. He knew she'd still be crying and he couldn't handle that. But neither could he make her feel better by telling her she was wrong.

Because that would be the biggest lie of all. The girl he'd loved since he was sixteen, the girl who'd loved him back in that entire time, would always be his first choice.

...

He went back to his apartment and grabbed a beer from the fridge, swallowing it down in one long gulp, before taking another to his bedroom. He settled on the bed and pulled his cell from his pocket. Eight missed calls, he read.

Four from Haley, two from Clay, one from Lucas, and one from his dad. He pressed the button to listen to his voicemails, skipping over all except those from his wife.

**_'Hey baby, just calling to say you missed your Skype session with Jamie and he's really disappointed. I know you're probably really busy and everything, but he looks forward to these talks with you so if you can get yourself to your computer, that'd be great. Love you.'_**

_**'Hey, it's 8:30 and I still haven't heard from you. Jamie goes to bed in half an hour so if you can at least call to say goodnight to him...ok...love you.'**_

_**'Ok, it's 9:15 now and Jamie was really upset when he went to bed. You'd better have a good explanation for this, Nathan because I swear if you're at some party...never mind. Just call me back. I am so pissed right now.'**_

_**'Nathan, please call me. It's after 10:00 and I'm really starting to get worried. I called Clay but he doesn't know where you are either. Call me so I know you're not lying dead in some ditch. I promise I'm not mad anymore, ok? I Love you.'**_

He leaned his head back and swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat as he listened to her messages. Burying his head in his hands, he tried to shake the guilt that enveloped him. He'd missed talking to Jamie and had worried the hell out of Haley, and for what? To be with Peyton.

The worst part - if given the chance he'd probably do it again. Despite his love for his family, if Peyton came to him now, he wouldn't refuse her. He _couldn't_ refuse her. He wanted her too badly and he didn't even really understand why.

He knew Haley deserved better than that from him, just as he knew that whenever Brooke spilled what she knew, Haley would be gone and she'd be better off for it. Better off without _him._

But he wasn't better off without _her_. He was well aware of that fact.

He pressed his wife's name from his contacts to get through to her cell. She picked up on the first ring, relieved for his call.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "I didn't mean to make you worry," he told her honestly. That really hadn't been his intention. "Yeah, no, I uh...fell asleep," he went on to say. She would discover the lie soon enough, but for now she believed him and she was ecstatic to hear from him. He would hold on to that as long as he could, knowing it wouldn't be long at all.

They talked for nearly an hour. He wasn't willing to let her go. Until she was practically falling asleep on the other line. It was late, he knew. She was generally asleep long before now.

So they hung up and he went back to leaning against the head board, cursing himself for going to Peyton's hotel today of all days. He never went there anymore so why today? Why not yesterday or tomorrow? Or why couldn't Brooke have shown up on a different day when he wasn't there? Why did she have to make a surprise visit in the first place? God, he hated surprises. Granted the surprise wasn't intended for him, but he got it just the same.

Oh, what a mess this day had turned out to be. What he wouldn't give for a do-over.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys, here's the next chapter. There was supposed to be more to it but it was getting way too long so I had to break it up. Thank you, as always, to everyone who is reading this story. Reviewers, good and bad, special thanks to you. I generally like to respond to reviews but I can't send personal messages unless you're signed in when the review is left. Therefore, nightfall and -NaleyFan1, thank you so much for your encouragement. I just wanted to let you know it means a lot. And to all guests, thank you as well, whether your comments are positive or negative. I appreciate that nobody is bashing my writing skills, including those who don't approve of the basis of this story. And now, onto the next chapter.**

...

Haley raced around frantically, losing her battle with the clock. So much to do still. Jamie had already missed his bus because she'd woken up late, therefore waking him up late, so she would have to drop him off at school on her way to work. If she wasn't out the door within the next twenty minutes, they'd both be late. Considering she gave out detention slips to students for being late-without a valid reason, of course-it wouldn't be right if she, the teacher, was tardy.

This was all Nathan's fault, keeping her awake on the phone until nearly 2:00 a.m. this morning, causing this flurry of activity because she'd been too tired to get up. She vowed to give her husband a good tongue lashing when they spoke next. Well, not too much of one, she immediately reconsidered. She had, after all, been happy to chat with him well into the night.

She rushed down the stairs, relieved to see that Jamie was already dressed and had even made himself his own breakfast cereal, which he was currently eating. What an absolutely great son she had.

"I made you breakfast too, Mama," he told her sweetly, indicating a bowl he'd left on the counter. "But I didn't put any milk in it cause that makes the cereal all soggy and gross."

She stopped dead in her tracks, moved by the considerate gesture. Ok, yeah, all he'd done was put cereal and sugar in a bowl, but it was the thought that counted, and her heart was genuinely warmed. "Yes, it does," she agreed, going to the fridge and grabbing the carton of milk. She just had to sit and eat now that her son had '_made_' her breakfast. "Thank you, sweetie," she said before taking a bite.

"It's okay," Jamie shrugged off. "I know sometimes you skip breakfast if you're in a hurry, but Dad said breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and Mom, I need you healthy if you're going to keep taking care of me."

Haley chuckled. An ulterior motive at eight years old. Too cute. "Oh, don't you worry, buddy. Mama's not going anywhere."

"Well, Dad also says that I'm the man of the house when he's not here so I guess I'm taking care of you too."

"You sure are, sweet man," Haley told him. "Best cheerios ever right here."

He smiled at his mother. "Well, I do take my responsibilities seriously."

She chuckled once again but before she could respond, the phone rang.

"I'll get it," Jamie offered, already standing. "Mom, it's for you," he said a few seconds later. "It's Clay."

She stood up, instructing Jamie to go brush his teeth since he was done eating, and took the phone, putting it up to her ear. "Clay? Hi," she said. "What's up? Is everything okay?"

"Hey, Haley, yeah, everything's fine," he replied, cursing himself for causing that small sound of alarm in her voice. "I was just calling to make sure that Nathan did get in touch with you last night."

"Oh," she said with relief. "Yes, he did, thank you," she added, silently wondering why he didn't just ask Nathan that question. "Hey, listen, sorry for bothering you with that yesterday. I must have sounded like a crazy, paranoid wife trying to keep tabs on her husband."

"No, not at all," Clay said. "And if you did, it's understandable."

"Thank you for saying that," she replied with a soft laugh. "Even if you _are_ just humoring me."

"So he did call, you said. That's good."

"Yeah, turns out he fell asleep right after dinner, so all my worrying was just silly."

"Fell asleep," Clay deadpanned. "Is that what he said?"

"Yeah, but hey, I hate to be so abrupt, but is that all? Because I'm in a bit of a rush and..."

"Oh, ok sure, no problem," he said. "I'll let you go and hopefully we can talk soon."

"Umm, yeah," she replied, still finding it odd that he wouldn't just talk to Nathan about this. But there was no time to ponder the situation. She had ten minutes to get out the door. She hung up the phone and went back to her cereal. Ugh, soggy. She pushed it aside and hurried to finish getting ready.

...

Clay put the receiver down and shook his head. _Fell asleep._ What a deceitful, two-timing jackass his best friend was. He didn't deserve a wonderful woman like Haley. He didn't deserve her at all.

...

"Hey," Peyton said as she sat in the booth across Brooke the next morning at a small diner of Brooke's choosing. "Thanks for getting back to me."

Brooke shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her coffee.

Peyton glanced around the cafe. "I've never been here before," she commented. "It's cozy." It kind of reminded her of Karen's back home. "How's the coffee?"

"Lacking," Brooke replied. "Kinda like yours and Nathan's morals."

Peyton's face fell. When Brooke had texted her to meet her this morning, she'd hoped it meant her best friend had calmed enough since last night to at least hear her out, but apparently not.

"Speaking of Nate, is he coming?" Brooke asked in the same dry tone.

"I have no idea," Peyton answered, still feeling more than a little irate with him. "Is he supposed to?"

Brooke shrugged. "I texted him too, but he never replied. I figured you would know if he plans to show up or not."

Peyton shook her head. "I don't," she said. "He went back to his apartment last night and we haven't spoken since."

"Huh, trouble in adultery land?"

Peyton sighed softly at the sarcastic question. "Yes, as a matter of fact," she answered, even though she knew it wasn't really meant to be answered. "Does that make you happy?"

"Peachy," Brooke replied dully. "You gonna take me to your place now to listen to new music? You know, like you used to do in high school when you and Nathan were dating and constantly fighting?"

"Brooke, I really wish you'd try to understand. We're best friends."

"I've seen the way you knock out your friends when they've got something you want, so no thanks."

Peyton looked down guiltily. "I love him," she spoke softly.

"So you've said."

"No, I mean the _real_ him, not the guy he had to turn himself into to fit Haley's idea of what a man should..." She cut herself short, not having meant to let that slip.

Brooke stared at her with eyebrows raised. "Did you seriously just make Haley the bad guy here?"

"No," Peyton denied, wishing she could put those words back in her mouth.

"Oh, I see, you're just saying you love him more than his wife does."

Peyton let out another sigh and figured she may as well just say it. It was half out now. "I'm saying I love him for who he is. She loves the mould she created of him."

"Unbelievable," Brooke muttered. "From what I saw last night, looks like she ran out of mould."

"And why do you think that is, Brooke?" Peyton put out there. "Why do you think he messes up so badly and so often? Because he tries so hard to be the guy she expects him to be, but he falls short a lot of the time, which is inevitable when you're trying to be someone you're not just to please somebody else."

"Is this what he's telling you?"

"He doesn't have to tell me. I can see it. And you should be able to see it too," Peyton went on. "You knew him before Haley came along. The difference in him came practically overnight, and it was like day and night."

"He needed to change, Peyton," Brooke said. "If you'll recall, he was a giant ass back then. Not that he's any better now. But then I guess she could have done like _you_ did; stay with him while he did whatever he wanted and _hope_ one day he'd miraculously change."

"He didn't need to change _everything_ about himself," Peyton argued. "She took him away from his parents and his friends..."

"Ok, hold on, she never did that."

"No? She's the one who put the emancipation in his head, and other than Tim, did you ever see him hang out with the guys anymore after she came in the picture? No. She secluded him from everyone but herself and Lucas, until it was ingrained in his head that they were his family now and he didn't need anybody else."

"Oh yes, that evil Haley is quite the brainwasher, isn't she?" Brooke came back with. "Rescuing him from his unfit parents like that and steering him away from his asshole friends. What a bitch."

Peyton crossed her arms over her chest. "I know you know what I'm saying, Brooke," she said flatly. "The only thing Nathan managed to hold onto of himself is basketball, and do you know that even after ten years of being with him, she still doesn't understand the simplest basketball lingo?"

"Oh my God, quick get a stone," Brooke returned with exaggerated anxiety. "Death on the wife who can't comprehend basketball terms. Pure evil I tell ya."

"Brooke, I'm serious. It might seem trivial to you, but it's the one thing he's passionate about and she can't be bothered to learn even the basics. If you think that doesn't get to him, you're crazy."

"Huh, and how well do you suppose he understands music notes?" Brooke countered.

"You're done then?" Brooke asked next when Peyton didn't respond.

"Not even nearly, but I'm obviously just wasting my breath," Peyton replied. "So, you win, Brooke. Okay? You win. Everything's sunshine and roses at home and Nathan and I, we're just two horrible people ruining lives."

"That's exactly what you are," Brooke agreed. "And what you're doing now, making excuses, is what selfish people like you do when they're trying to validate their behavior by shifting the blame to the ones being cheated."

"That's not what I'm doing," Peyton denied. "Nathan and I both know what we did was wrong. We're not trying to blame anyone else..."

"Well, _he_ may not be, but _you_ definitely are. At least all he's doing is pathetically begging me not to tell on him, not coming up with a million and one excuses for why he did what he did."

Peyton shook her head. Of her and Nathan, _she_ was the one who wanted to come clean. _He_ wanted it kept secret. So how did she somehow become worse than him? "Brooke, you don't even know the half of it."

"You're wasting your time, Peyton," they heard. It was Nathan, and he slid in the booth next to Peyton. "Narrow-minded people have a set idea in their head and there's no changing it, no matter what you say."

...

Lucas picked up his ringing telephone, checking the caller ID before answering. "Yeah?"

"Nice greeting," he heard from the other end.

"Sorry, Hales. I'm kind of in a writing zone and I don't want to break it."

"Ohhh," she exclaimed. "I'll be quick then. I'm only in between classes anyway. My next one starts in...three minutes."

"Okay."

"I have a proposition for you. If I take Sawyer for the entire weekend, could you maybe watch Jamie for me tonight?" she asked. "Your mom called me and apparently one of the bands cancelled last minute so she asked if I could play a set and I didn't want to say no. I wouldn't go on until 8:00 so he'll already have eaten dinner and done his homework, but he would have to stay overnight at your place since it'll be late for him by the time..."

"Haley?" he cut her off mid-rant.

"Yeah?" she said, taking a breath.

"You had me at _'if I take Sawyer for the whole weekend'_."

"Yeah? You're not too busy, being in the _zone_ and all that?"

"I always have time for my favorite nephew."

"_Only_ nephew."

"For now. "You and Nate ever gonna have another one or what?"

"Umm, yeah, eventually. I hope. Anyway, I won't keep you. You're sure you don't mind?"

"Not only do I not mind, but I'm happy to have him. Besides, Jamie's a bigger help than anything."

"Oh, thank you, thank you. You're the very best friend a girl could ask for."

"Let's see if you're still saying that this weekend," he jeered.

"I will. Sawyer's a doll. Anyway, okay, so I'll drop Jamie off before I head to Tric, and then we can sort out the rest later. I gotta go."

"Sounds good," he said agreeably, smiling when he hung up the phone. He was going to get so much writing done this weekend.

...

_Narrow-minded? _Brooke huffed at the dark-haired Scott. She'd never been called narrow-minded in her life. "If by that you mean there's no talking your way out of an affair, then you're right. There's nothing you can say that will convince me you two aren't the backstabbing whores you are."

"See?" Nathan responded. "No why, or how, or what lead up to it, or even, hey, you screwed up, let's figure out the problem. You see what you see and that's it, we're judged and crucified without even getting a say."

Brooke crossed her arms over her chest. "Huh, shifting blame. I guess you _do_ do it too," she said. "Does that help ease your conscience or do you even _have_ one?"

"What do you want, Brooke?" he asked impatiently. "Why'd you call me down here?" When he'd first gotten her message he'd hoped she had calmed down and was possibly now open to the idea of keeping what she'd seen to herself, but when he got there and heard the tone of voice she was speaking to Peyton in, he knew that wasn't it.

"I called you both here to tell you that I'm not telling Lucas and Haley about you two."

Both Nathan and Peyton's heads shot up.

"You're _not_?" Nathan asked, hopefully, but skeptically. Peyton, on the other hand, seemed a bit disappointed.

Brooke shook her head. "No. You guys are going to tell them yourselves," she said. "But not after basketball season like you originally discussed." She turned to Peyton. "Yeah, I could tell by your face that asshat here was lying when he said you _hadn't_."

Peyton didn't respond, and Nathan just rolled his eyes.

Brooke looked at Nathan now. "Just like I know it wasn't a one-time thing like you'd have me believe, but more like three months like your fellow whore said."

Nathan sneered at the comment, angry by it. "She's not a whore, Brooke. As her best friend, you know that. And what kind of best friend are you even? She makes a mistake and you turn on her? How's that any better than what _we_ did?"

"When a mistake is made repeatedly," Brooke began, "it's no longer a mistake, but a conscious decision to do the wrong thing. Real sweet of you to jump to her defense though," she added bitterly. "The one stand-up thing you do and it's to protect your mistress' honor."

"Why are you such a bitch, Brooke?" he asked, his body tensing with suppressed rage.

"Why are _you_ a cheating ass?" she countered. "I guess we are who we are, no matter who we try to be," she went on. "Now, as I was saying, you guys are gonna tell Lucas and Haley ASAP. And you're still gonna do it face to face. To make sure of that, I've booked us all flights to Tree Hill at 4:00 this afternoon."

Nathan and Peyton took on identical shocked expressions, but it was Nathan who spoke first. "You're kidding, right?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

Getting angrier by the second, Nathan snapped. "Brooke, I can't just leave like that. I have a game tomorrow night, practice tonight..."

"Return flight for you two is tomorrow at 11 A.M. Plenty of time to get to your precious game. As for practice, I guess you're gonna have to skip it."

"I can't do that, Brooke. This is the NBA, not high school."

"I can't either," Peyton piped up. "I have a meeting with my manager this afternoon."

"You know, I don't remember asking what you guys have going on," Brooke replied firmly. "Work it out, both of you. I'm not going to let you put off what you should have done three months ago. It's time to do the right thing. _Today._"

Peyton nodded, agreeing it was high time.

Nathan, however, shook his head. "Forget it," he balked. "I'm not rearranging my schedule to fly home to lose _everything_. You want to play miss moral compass and rip my family apart, I guess I can't stop you, but I'm not about to stand there and watch it happen."

He was on his feet now, furious and ready to walk out. It was either that or choke the daylights out of the girl who was trying to back him into a corner.

"I didn't do the ripping apart," Brooke stated sharply. "You did."

His fists clenched, literally hating Brooke at that moment. "Don't fuck with me, Brooke," he said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, I'm not," Brooke replied coolly. "That would be _Peyton, _and, oh yeah, about two dozen or so other girls, so I've heard."

"Oh yeah?" Nathan responded, suddenly remembering what he'd seen on his way over here. "Say anything to Haley about any of this, and maybe I'll tell her this morning's newspaper clip is true, minus the prostitute part of course."

"What are you talking about? What clip?"

"Oh, you haven't seen it?" he scoffed. "You should check it out. It's pretty funny, actually. The press is really starting to get creative."

"What is it?" Brooke asked suspiciously.

"Find out for yourself. Just know, if I go down, you're coming with me."

"Nathan," Peyton admonished. "That's cruel," she told him, clearly having seen the article.

"And _she's _being Mary Poppins?" he countered.

"It'll just make things worse with Haley if she doesn't believe you," Peyton reasoned. "Hell, even if she _does _believe you. At least by telling them the truth, there's a chance that she'll forgive you."

He shook his head again and closed his eyes in dismay. "She won't, Peyton. You _know_ she won't. She already told me with Carrie that she won't do infidelity."

"Oh my God, don't tell me," Brooke scoffed. "You actually _did _screw the nanny."

"Why don't you shut up!?" Nathan snapped, losing grip on the little bit of control he had left. "Ok, just shut the hell up and mind your own damn business!"

His sudden outburst caused Brooke to flinch slightly, but she wasn't backing down. "Look, Haley's finding out today. Whether it comes from me or you is your choice."

"Whatever, _you _do it then," he returned, turning around and heading out the door. He had to get out of there or he swore he would hit her. He'd never hit a girl in his life, but she was pushing his buttons and he didn't trust himself not to make her the first. He really didn't want to be _that_ guy on top of all his other flaws. It didn't help that she was calling him a coward on his way out.

Brooke turned to Peyton. "You'll be there this afternoon?" she asked, pushing aside Nathan's display of temper.

Peyton nodded her head. "Yeah, I'll figure something out for my meeting," she said. "Oh, and I wouldn't cancel Nate's flight," she advised. "Something tells me he'll be changing his mind by then."

Brooke simply nodded back and left the diner. She went in search for a newspaper stand, curious to know what Nathan had been talking about. She found the gossip magazine in a nearby convenience store. On the front cover there was a picture of Nathan, Peyton and herself in the hotel lobby last night. That was fast, she thought to herself, not recalling seeing anyone else or any cameras flashing.

She proceeded to read the headline and her mouth dropped open as she did so.

_**'Nathan Scott and Peyton Sawyer spice things up by bringing in third party prostitute for steamy threesome.'**_

"Un-freaking-believable," Brooke muttered in awe. Prostitute? _Seriously?_

Like Haley would _ever_ believe that.


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N: Hi guys. Thanks, as always to everyone reading, and big thanks to all who left feedback of any kind. Here's the next one. I hope you enjoy it!_**

**_..._**

Peyton packed a few things in her overnight bag, going over the day's events in her mind.

After she'd left the cafe, she'd gone back to her hotel and called her manager, letting him know she couldn't make their meeting this afternoon. He wasn't happy in the least, reminding her of the great opportunity he was giving her here and insisting that she couldn't just blow it off like that, especially when she was already falling behind with her sketches. She let him know she understood that but it was only this once, that she simply had to go to Tree Hill today.

He'd huffed and puffed some more, even when she told him it was an emergency, but she'd stood her ground and he'd finally let up and agreed to meet with her the next day instead.

It was a good thing he'd conceded because now that it was in her mind to tell Lucas about her betrayal _today_, she knew she couldn't delay it.

She'd been wanting to tell him for some time now. She knew it wasn't fair to Lucas to let him keep thinking she was still in love with him and that their relationship was still the same as it had been. She didn't know how Nathan had managed to convince her to hold off another six weeks.

No, that wasn't true. She knew how he did it. He'd made her believe he wanted to confess too, face to face, and she'd agreed that was how it should be done, and that after they'd told them, they, she and Nathan, would be free to be together.

He hadn't meant a word of it, she realized now. He'd just wanted _her_ for another six weeks before he went back to his wife. Why hadn't she considered that when he'd mentioned waiting? She _knew_ he didn't want to let Haley go. Hell, even in their fantasy stories he _never_ let Haley move on to another man. That should have raised her alarm bells right there, yet she'd let him convince her he would willingly leave Haley for her. How gullible was she?

A tear rolled down her cheek as she thought of him. She was angry, to be sure, but mostly she was sad. Nathan had found his way into her heart, but she wasn't in his. She'd thought they'd come out to everyone, and together they would face all the backlash that would surely come of it - their union. She knew there would be outrage all around because of who he was - her husband's brother and her good friend's husband - and who _she_ was - his brother's wife and his wife's good friend.

She'd been prepared for all of it as long as she had him, enduring the same, right alongside her. But she wouldn't have that now. They'd both still have to suffer the consequences of their actions, but separately.

It seemed she also wouldn't have her best friend to lean on either. Yesterday she'd lost her lover and her best friend. Today she would lose her husband and another good friend. It was entirely her fault, she knew.

And yet, she couldn't seem to regret a single moment of the past three months. How horrible was she?

But also running through her mind was how Nathan had defended her with Brooke this morning. She hadn't expected him to after last night. Did he care after all? She sighed deeply. She just didn't know anymore.

...

Meanwhile, Nathan too tossed a few things in a small duffel bag, preparing for the overnight trip to Tree Hill. He'd said he wasn't going, but the more he thought about it, the more he knew he had to.

If his family was going to be ripped away from him today, then he at least wanted that last fleeting moment of their happy faces when they first spotted him home. No way he was letting Brooke take that from him. So, he'd worked it out with his coach, and, unfortunately missing practice meant he wouldn't be allowed to play in the next game - his coach's personal rule - but he could live with that.

His thoughts drifted to Peyton, as they tended to do lately. She was upset with him, he knew. He probably shouldn't have lied to her about revealing their secret after basketball season. No, he _knew_ he shouldn't have. But, at the same time, he didn't really regret it, except for the whole Brooke walking in on them part. It had been the only thing he could come up with that gave him extra time with Peyton, otherwise she was ending them right then and there.

He didn't want that. He wasn't prepared to let her go just yet. He'd given himself six weeks to get used to the idea. After that he would have told her the truth. Ok, more like he would have dropped the bomb on her - that he would be staying with Haley after all.

He realized it was a dick move, and because of it, Peyton now thought he didn't care about her. But that wasn't true. She stirred up feelings in him that he'd thought were reserved for Haley alone. He couldn't even begin to understand them, especially since his feelings for his wife had not diminished in the slightest.

Peyton didn't understand that. He supposed it was easier for her to let Lucas go. She _had_, after all, managed to move on from him to someone else, not _once_, but _twice_ in the past. First with Jake, and then the movie producer Julian. She'd apparently loved both of those guys in between Lucas.

No so for him. At sixteen years old Haley had become his family, and that had never changed. For nearly ten years, she'd been his one and only. Well, unless you counted the series of drunken hook-ups he'd partook in the first year he'd come to L.A.

He, himself, tended not to count those. For eight years, he _had_ been faithful, but everything changed when he'd first come to L.A. He'd been in a new world, living a dream, a different life, and he'd temporarily gotten caught up in the glory of it all. The parties came often and alcohol abounded, severely impairing his judgment. None of those girls had meant a thing to him - he didn't even know them and remembered them even less. He had realized on his own - ok, with some help from the Renee scandal - what a mistake it was to risk everything for the shallow, double-life he was living. He'd made his own decision to stop going to the parties because he, apparently, lost all inhibitions and good sense when he was drinking and there were hot girls around who weren't his wife, all his for the taking. They weren't worth losing Haley over, that was for damn certain.

Like he'd told Peyton last night, it was different with her. Yes he'd been buzzed the first time they'd gotten together three months ago. So had she been. But neither had been so hammered that they didn't remember hooking up. And the next day, though regret _had _made an appearance, it hadn't been nearly as strong as the longing to be together again had been. And so their affair had begun, both sober and knowing exactly what they were doing.

It wasn't meaningless to him as she currently thought, but he was hard put to explain to her what he felt when he couldn't really grasp it himself. He knew he wanted her and that what he felt for her was real and unfaltering. He didn't see it going away anytime soon.

But was _she_ worth losing Haley over? How could she be when the very thought of not having Haley in his life filled him with such dread and anxiety that he found it hard to breathe?

He may _want_ Peyton, but he _needed_ Haley.

Not that any of that mattered at all anymore. He'd already lost Peyton yesterday, and today he would lose Haley. He felt sure of that because, regardless of what Peyton had suggested earlier, he knew his wife would never forgive him for this.

...

He found Peyton sitting outside the airport when he arrived, no sign of Brooke anywhere. He went and sat on the bench beside her, wondering if she'd even talk to him. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," she said, not surprised to see him. "You changed your mind."

He nodded solemnly. "I figure Haley should hear it from me rather than Brooke."

She nodded back. "That's probably for the best," she agreed. "What a mess, huh?" she added awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

"Yeah," he answered simply, equally awkward.

"You doing okay now?" she couldn't resist asking. She may be angry and hurt, but she couldn't shut off her feelings for him. She couldn't pretend she didn't care.

"Not really. You?"

"I'm fine," she assured him. "Like I said yesterday, I've wanted to do this for a while. We owe them the truth."

He stared at the ground, knowing full well she was right, yet unable to feel as she did about it. All he could think about was his ten year marriage being flushed down the toilet because someone couldn't keep her damn mouth shut. Not to mention, the brotherly bond he'd formed with Lucas would be shot to hell. "I don't know how you can be okay with this," he told her. "I can't even..." He shook his head, unsure of what exactly he wanted to say.

Peyton turned away from him, hiding the hurt in her eyes. She knew exactly what he was trying to say. "You can't even imagine life without Haley," she filled in for him. "You've been together a long time. It's understandable you'd feel that way."

He gave her a tight smile, realizing she _did_ understand. "Thanks," he said softly. "So, where is our hooker _friend_?" he asked, the last word spoken with such animosity and hatred that it was clear he thought of Brooke as anything but a friend.

"I don't know. I'm sure she'll be here soon."

"I'm sure she will," he agreed. "Well, unless she got run over by a bus on her way over here."

"Not funny. Nathan, she just wants to do the right thing. You can't wish death upon her for that."

"Who said anything about death?" he countered. "I was thinking more like a concussion, you know, a sad case of amnesia. Poor thing."

Peyton couldn't help but giggle at the comment, which, in turn, made him chuckle as well.

They were still laughing when Brooke came upon them. "I see getting caught red-handed, or should I say _pants down,_ hasn't stopped you two from flirting with each other. I guess once you're done breaking Lucas and Haley's hearts, you can both come back to L.A. and live happily ever after in your little sexed-up, adulterous world."

She stalked off ahead of them, leaving them to follow behind since she held their flight passes.

"On second thought, I'm not totally down with the death idea," Nathan muttered.

Peyton shot him a look and slapped his stomach, but he refused to take the comment back.

"You know, she's right though," Peyton said to him. "Once Luke and Haley know, there's nothing to stop us from being together."

He smiled but didn't respond. He couldn't think about that right now.

And Peyton could kick herself. Why had she gone and said that? So what that he'd defended her this morning? He'd still made it clear he would choose Haley over her if given the option. She was furious with him for letting her think otherwise before that. And yet in just a few minutes with him, he'd had her laughing and offering to be with him if his first choice didn't work out. How did he do that? What the hell was wrong with her? And where on earth had her pride gone? She could sure use it right now.

...

Brooke muttered a curse and elbowed Nathan in the side as best she could being squished in the middle between him, who had the aisle seat, and Peyton, who occupied the window seat.

Their plane had taken off about a half hour ago, and Nathan lounged lazily in his place, using his entire arm rest and most of _hers_. She knew he was doing it on purpose, the jerk. She was truly starting to remember how arrogant and rude he could be when you were on his bad side.

"Would you stay on your own side," she lamented, attempting to shove his arm away from her space. "Why did you have to change your mind, anyway?" she grumbled.

He simply smirked at her, knowing very well he was irritating her, but not caring a whit. She was forcing him into taking this damn trip home and he was going to be comfortable doing it. Brooke was just going to have to suck it up. He wasn't doing her any favors. He shrugged insolently. "You shoulda taken the window seat."

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Brooke huffed. "Then you could sit next to your _girlfriend_."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, cause this is third grade still."

"Whatever. Just keep your filthy hands on your own side."

He had nerve to chuckle at that, infuriating Brooke further. "Don't worry, Brooke," he said breezily. "I showered since yesterday."

"There's no scrubbing off that kind of dirt," Brooke threw back. "God, I can't believe I'm sitting between two adulterers right now," she added, shuddering with revulsion. "Don't mind if I feel a little sick over that."

Now Peyton chuckled, ever so lightly, but it was heard just the same.

Brooke raised her brows at the blonde. "Care to fill me in on the joke?"

Peyton shook her head, preferring to keep it to herself. Brooke _was_, after all, still her best friend and she hoped to one day make amends, unlike Nathan who didn't care what he said to her because he didn't at all care what Brooke thought except for what she might repeat to Haley.

However, when Brooke insisted she go ahead and say what had crossed her mind, Peyton did exactly that. "It's you," she began. "You're all anti-me and Nathan for being adulterers when meanwhile, no offense, but your entire lingerie line is probably _funded_ by adulterers alone. They're more than likely your biggest customers."

Nathan snickered on her other side. "That's probably true," he said in amusement.

"Well, you two would know," Brooke snapped in return. "You know what?" she added angrily. "Since yesterday all I've heard from you two are excuses, denials, pleadings, and now even _jokes_," she said in disgust. "Know what I _haven't_ heard from either of you? An apology."

Peyton shook her head while Nathan scowled fiercely. "Maybe because we don't _owe_ you one, Brooke," Nathan told her scornfully. "We didn't do this to _you."_

"No, you did it to two people I care about and that's even worse."

Nathan leaned back in his seat. "Oh ok. Gee, where was all this loyalty back in high school when Haley kissed Chris?" he wondered aloud. "Everyone else seemed to know, but not one damn person came to me with it, including you, Brooke. I had to find out on my own by accident. I guess that was ok though, huh, since I wasn't someone you _cared_ about?"

"FYI," Brooke countered, "I didn't know she'd kissed him until she'd already gone on tour with him, which was _after_ you found out."

"I knew," Peyton confessed softly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Nate. Honestly, I didn't know how."

Nathan simply nodded at her, silently accepting her sincere apology.

"Unbelievable," Brooke gasped. "This was so long ago. Why even bring it up? Especially when you've done so much worse since then. You're just looking for ways to justify having an affair."

"No, I'm just saying it would have been nice to get the same loyalty from my '_friends'_ when the tables were turned and Haley was the one screwing up. Maybe you didn't know about the kiss, Brooke, but you did know she was spending time with him and lying to me about it, and probably even falling for him, but you never said a word to me."

Brooke sighed, knowing he had her on that one. "Fine," she conceded. "I apologize for that but that's _all_ I apologize for. Don't think, for a second, that my silence then buys my silence now. You're a no-good, cheating ass and Haley's gonna know it."

"Yeah, I think you've said that a time or two," Nathan grumbled.

"Good, we're clear. So stop trying to lay a massive guilt trip on me cause it's not gonna work. The only people who should feel guilty right now are you and Peyton. You're the ones who crossed every single line, not me."

She lay back in her own seat now, and closed her eyes, silently putting an end to the conversation.

All were quiet for a long while before Nathan said something, seemingly out of nowhere, but clearly what had been on his mind. "I didn't, you know," he spoke softly. "Screw Carrie. I never did."

Brooke opened her eyes, ready to shout out a sarcastic _congratulations_, but then noticed he was looking above her head at Peyton. He hadn't bothered denying it this morning to her, but Peyton had been there too, and apparently he wanted _her_ to know, or at least _believe_, that he hadn't slept with the nanny.

"Haley just _thought_ I did," he went on, not even noticing Brooke now.

Peyton nodded and told him she believed him. He nodded back and smiled before turning away again.

Brooke didn't comment this time. She _could_ say catching him and Carrie in the shower together was probably what caused Haley to doubt his innocence, and that watching her swim naked certainly hadn't helped, but she didn't bother. She figured Nathan already knew all that, and she really didn't feel like arguing anymore. They, Nathan more so than Peyton, always had something to say, and Brooke was already sick of hearing it. Nothing, absolutely nothing, would excuse their betrayal to their families. Brooke wondered if they would ever learn that lesson.

It was about forty-five minutes later when she opened her eyes again. Peyton was leaning against the window, seemingly asleep, and Nathan had ear buds in and was watching the small television screen in front of him. When she caught sight of what he was watching, she sneered and yanked out the ear bud closest to her.

Extremely irritated by the gesture, Nathan frowned and turned icy blue eyes in her direction. "What the hell?"

"_Really_?" she asked, ignoring his question.

"What?" he questioned, this time with genuine confusion on top of annoyance.

"_My Five Wives_?" she mocked, gesturing to the TV.

Nathan looked back to the screen, where the new reality show featuring the lives of a polygamous family played out. "Yeah. So what? There's nothing else on."

"Just don't get any ideas. I know it would solve all your problems and all, but I doubt Haley or Peyton would go for the whole multiple wives thing."

Nathan shook his head, the thought never even having crossed his mind. "Just keep your eyes on your own TV, ok?" he muttered before turning back to _his_ and putting his ear bud back in place. As he continued to watch, he had to admit a multiple marriage _would_ be the perfect solution to his problems right now. Maybe this Brady Williams dude had it right, he thought with an amused smirk.

...

He was no longer smirking, however, during the shuttle bus ride home, nor was he at all amused. None of them were. Others in the vehicle chatted amiably, but the three bounded for Tree Hill sat in dead silence.

Nathan felt knots forming in his stomach, and the closer they got to their home town, the tighter those knots became. Within an hour he was going to be forced to confess everything to Haley, which also meant within an hour, she would be lost to him. He would have liked to turn the shuttle bus around and go back to the airport, back to L.A., anywhere but Tree Hill right now. He wasn't ready to end his marriage. He wasn't emotionally equipped to have their forever and always come crashing down around them. He didn't want to tell Haley he'd cheated on her. Didn't want to see the disappointment etched across her face. He didn't want any of this.

Everyone else seemed in a hurry to get where they were going, but not him. He wished for the bus to break down, get a flat tire, anything to delay walking in his house, his _home_, and having to explain why he was there. He sat quietly, absently playing with his wedding band. He wasn't feeling anger anymore, only dread for what he was being forced to do.

Peyton felt much of the same apprehension, for different yet similar reasons. As determined as she was to tell the truth, her nerves were getting to her now, as proven by the way she chomped away at her thumb nail.

She knew she was doing the right thing, but now she actually had to face her husband and tell him she'd had an affair with his brother and that she was in love with him. She could just imagine the pain and anger that would cause him, and she didn't look forward to it one bit. She was quickly realizing that _thinking_ about telling him from way out in L.A. was a far cry from _actually_ telling him. Not that she'd expected it to be easy or that she'd changed her mind - or that Brooke would even let her - but she hadn't counted on her hands trembling nervously an hour before she was even home. The hour that followed would surely not be her finest hour.

Nevertheless, she went over in her head all the things she wanted to say to Lucas, hoping that would help her get it out better when the actual time came.

Due to several stops along the way from other passengers, it was closer to two hours before they got to Tree Hill. Neither Nathan nor Peyton raised a complaint about that.

They pulled into Nathan's driveway first since his was the closest on the route. His eyes immediately spotted Jamie out front, with a group of his friends. Several of the kids turned their way when the bus pulled up. Jamie, noticing the words 'airport service' written across the bus, came running to it, exclaiming 'Dad's home' as he did so.

If Nathan's palms were sweating before, they were even more so now. He swallowed hard and, bag in hand, opened the door, Jamie jumping on him as soon as he stepped out of the vehicle. Despite everything, it made Nathan smile. This was the moment he hadn't wanted to miss - the sheer excitement at having him home. There would be another exact reaction from his wife when he walked through the front door, he knew. Those were the moments he'd hold onto - those few seconds where Haley was still his.

He engaged his son in a short and playful wrestling match in the driveway before Jamie tugged at his arm and began pulling him toward the house, both Scott boys smiling.

Peyton and Brooke watched from inside the bus. They could hear Jamie eagerly saying _'wait till Mama_ _sees you. She's gonna be so excited just like I am!'_

Brooke glanced over at Peyton. The blonde had tears brimming in her eyes. "You see what you messed with?" she said unsympathetically. "Still think it's a joke?"

"I never thought it was a joke, Brooke."

"Ok, still think you have the right to _explain_ ruining that little boy's life?"

Peyton faced the brunette now. "Jamie's still his son, no matter what happens," she said, much as she'd told Nathan some few days ago. "That's never gonna change."

"No, but that innocent, little eight year old's whole world is about to change," Brooke countered harshly. "How does it feel to be responsible for that because you couldn't keep your claws off his daddy?"

Peyton turned away, unable to form any type of response. At least none that Brooke would understand. It was all so much less complicated when they were in L.A., just the two of them.

They reached her house next, and she stepped out of the bus with much the same dread as Nathan had, only she didn't have a Jamie there to offer her an exuberantly happy welcome.

She grabbed her bag and slowly treaded down the walkway, her heart in her throat and her knees threatening to buckle beneath her. By the time she reached the door, her hands were quivering so violently that she could barely turn the handle. Finally managing, she took a deep breath and entered the house.

...

"Mom, mom," Jamie hollered throughout the house. "Dad's here!"

Haley came rushing to the front entrance, her heart in her throat. At first it was due to pure panic at Jamie's urgent shouts for her, but then his words sank in. Surely it wasn't true. Nathan wasn't due home for another six weeks. Even so, she had to come see.

And then she saw him, standing there in the doorway, looking as handsome as ever, if not a bit tired. He flashed her a smile and her eyes lit up. "_What_ are you doing home?" she asked even as she hurried toward him to wrap her arms around his body.

...

He didn't notice her at first. He was busy typing away at his computer, no doubt working on his book, lost in the story he was creating.

He had the baby monitor beside him as he liked to do when he was alone with Sawyer sleeping upstairs, afraid he'd get caught up in his writing and miss if she awoke and got out of her toddler bed. Peyton thought the monitor was unnecessary now that Sawyer was two, but Lucas liked to ride on the side of caution, at least when it came to his daughter, and so Peyton didn't raise a fuss about it. It's not like it was a big deal. If Lucas felt safer having the monitor beside him, then so be it. He was her daddy. He had the right to worry about her.

Peyton leaned against the door frame - it helped her shaky legs hold her up - watching him type word after word and then delete its entirety with a silent curse. This went on for several minutes until, finally, he lifted his head.

He rubbed his eyes at the sight of his beautiful wife standing there, making sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. He often imagined her being there. This could be one of those times. But when he did a double-take and she was still there, he realized it was real this time.

"Peyton?" he questioned, his brow creasing in confusion. He stood up, a slow grin appearing on his face.

"Heh, Luke," she said.

He was directly in front of her within seconds, instantly pulling her into a tight embrace. "You're home? How come?"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hiya guys. Here's the next chapter. As usual, thanks to everyone reading, and big thanks to all reviewers, whether the feedback is good or bad. And now on with it.**

...

She pulled out of his embrace the second he asked why she was there. She took a deep breath, gathering her nerve. God, this was going to hurt him so bad. "I need to tell you something," she said after several seconds of silence.

"Okay," Lucas said, pulling back only slightly. He gazed at her quizzically, wondering what could be so pressing that she had to fly out here to tell him rather than just calling him on the phone. "Is everything all right?" he asked.

She shook her head, tears already forming.

It wasn't a sight he could ever stand, and he instinctively reached for her again, wrapping protective arms around her tiny waist. "Hey, whatever it is, it can't be that bad," he said soothingly.

"It is," she replied with a sniffle.

"Then we'll work it out," he replied. "We'll get through it. But first you have to tell me what it is."

Again, she stepped out of his loving arms, the shame of the past three months hitting her harder than ever. "You're so good to me, Lucas," she sobbed. "And I don't deserve you to be."

"Hey, don't say that," he gently rebuked. "You're my wife, and I love you."

She knew that. It didn't help at all. It only made her feel worse.

"Tell me what's wrong, Peyton," he softly ordered. "I'll bet it's not as bad as you think it is."

She could guarantee it was worse.

"Is this about L.A.?" he gently prodded.

"Kind of. Not really."

"I don't understand. And you're starting to make me nervous. What is it, Peyton?"

She opened her mouth but was saved from having to answer right then when Sawyer's muffled cries came through the monitor.

"She's been waking up a lot lately," Lucas informed her. "I'll just get her back to sleep and then we'll talk, okay? It usually only takes a few minutes."

"No, I'll get her," Peyton said. "I miss her like crazy anyway, so you relax," she went on, already on her way up the stairs.

He did as she told him, settling down in the velvety cushions of the couch. This was nice, having someone else take over for a while. Selfishly, he hoped that what his wife had to say was that she'd changed her mind about L.A. and decided to come home to stay.

He didn't have long to relish in that idea though since only a few minutes passed before Peyton called down to him.

He bounded up the stairs to find Peyton helplessly trying to placate their inconsolable daughter. "She only wants Daddy," she told him powerlessly.

And she did. As soon as Sawyer spotted him, she leapt into his arms, nestling into his neck and her little hands holding on for dear life. She didn't yet have the vocabulary to express details of her dream, nor to explain her fears, but she was clearly petrified. It was just as clear that Daddy made everything better. All it took were a few cuddles and his soothing voice and the little girl fell right back to sleep.

...

"Yeah Dad, why _are_ you here?" Jamie asked as the small family had moved over to the large upstairs bathroom where Haley was putting on the finishing touches of her makeup for the night at Tric she now wished she'd refused. If only she'd known Nathan was coming home, she _would_ have. This was why she hated when he surprised her like this. She couldn't just blow off Karen after she'd promised to do a set, no matter how much she'd rather stay home with her husband.

Through the mirror she saw Nathan smile at their son. "Well, see," Nathan began with a shrug. "I heard someone was upset that I missed our Skype chat yesterday so I figured I'd come down here and make up for it in person."

"Really?" Jamie asked, excitement building in him at being the reason his dad had flown down.

"Really," Nathan answered.

"Cool! You wanna play NBA live with me while Mom goes out?" Jamie asked. He'd already gladly called his uncle Lucas to tell him he wouldn't be going over, after all, since his dad was home. Not that he didn't like spending time with his uncle. He did. But he _loved_ spending time with his dad, especially since, during on-season, he didn't get to see him much.

"There's nothing more I'd rather do," Nathan said with exaggerated enthusiasm, winking at his son. "Why don't you go set it up? I'll be there soon."

"Ok," Jamie returned, running off to do just that.

Both parents chuckled as they watched him disappear around the corner.

"You made his day," Haley said with the smile still playing on her now glossed lips. "And mine," she added, gracing her hubby with a quick peck on the lips. "And when I get back, we're gonna talk about why you're _really_ here," she said. "You'll wait up, right?"

He nodded, dreading that conversation, yet glad to put it off for a few hours. He still had no idea how he was going to tell her. "Of course," he assured her.

"Good. And don't let Jamie stay up too late, ok? He has school in the morning."

"Kay."

"Ugh, I wish I didn't have to go," she whined.

Nathan smiled at her. Under any other circumstance, he would wish the same. She looked beautiful, as always, and he told her so.

She smiled back before gazing at him pensively. "It's not your back, is it?" she asked him with concern, needing to know _that_, at least, before she left. He clearly needed to talk to her and she wanted to make sure his back wasn't the issue. "The reason you're here? It's not acting up again?"

He shook his head, quick to assure her. "No. It's nothing like that."

"You're not just saying that?"

"Why would I just say that?"

"Because you're _you_ and you want to keep playing and you don't want me to worry about you all night while _I'm_ playing."

"Okay," he said, agreeing those were some good reasons not to be completely upfront about his health. Right now he kind of wished his back _was _the problem. It would be a hell of a lot easier to tell her that than he'd been sleeping with Peyton for three months. And it was times like these, when she looked at him with such love and concern and compassion that the guilt of his actions really set in for him, and he wondered how he could be so careless as to stray on this perfect angel of his. What the hell was he thinking risking everything they'd built together?

"Nathan?" Haley pushed when he seemed to zone out on her.

He snapped back to reality. "Don't worry, Hales," he said. "My back's fine. I promise." What was ailing him was much worse than possible paralysis.

But Haley smiled unknowingly, relieved that he put her biggest concern to rest. "Ok, good," she said happily. "And now, I have to go," she said with another quick peck to his cheek. "Wish me luck."

Nathan shook his head and smiled at his wife. "You don't need luck with your talent," he told her for probably the hundredth time. He didn't know why she still got so nervous to get up on stage, but it was damned adorable that she did. And again, he wondered how he could be so stupid.

His comment was rewarded with a more lingering kiss. "You're the best husband," she told him exuberantly. "I'm so lucky to have you."

And then she was off, none the wiser, leaving him muttering to himself about not being the great guy she thought he was.

...

"Sorry," Luke said as he and Peyton quietly stepped out of Sawyer's room once she was down for the count once again.

Peyton shrugged her small shoulders as they headed down the stairs. "It's fine," she told him. "You've been the one with her lately so it's understandable she'd want _you_ to soothe her fears." She couldn't say it didn't hurt to be so blatantly rejected by her daughter, but she understood it.

Luke nodded agreeably though he could see it upset her. "Come here," he said once they'd hit the bottom step, wanting to wrap his arms around her and soothe _her _now.

She allowed herself the luxury for a moment, but quickly pulled back as she remembered exactly why she was home. Him trying to comfort her only made what she had to do, what she'd already done, that much harder. He was so sweet to her and she was about to break his heart to pieces. She'd gotten to stall for time a little bit while they dealt with Sawyer's nightmare, but she knew there was no longer any reason to put it off. Except her own agitation, which was not a valid excuse.

"Luke, we really need to talk," she told him seriously.

He nodded and took her by the hand to lead her to the couch. He sat directly across her on the ottoman, grabbing her other hand so that he held both, and gazed at her intently, willing her to know that he loved and supported her no matter what she had to say.

"Luke," she began nervously. She truly hadn't counted on her nerves getting to her this much.

"Peyton," he mimicked in her same tone.

God, his light heartedness made this more difficult. "We've been through a lot, you and me," she began.

"We _have_," he agreed.

"Some of it's been good, some not so good."

"Those trials are what have made us a stronger couple."

She glanced away from his intense stare. She needed him to stop saying things like that. Her guilt was already overwhelming her. He was so damn unsuspecting and..._loving_. And _she_...well, she'd been a horrible wife, even if he didn't know it yet. How the hell was she supposed to do this? She had to. She looked back at him. "It has been an amazing two years being married to you," she said. "It was my dream come true."

"Mine too."

"But sometimes dreams change," she tried again. "The past few months in L.A..."

"Have been hard on all of us," he cut her off, assuming that's what she'd been about to say. "I know," he added. "But we didn't really expect it to be easy," he reasoned.

"No, I know," she replied uneasily. "I just didn't think they'd get so complicated."

"You mean with Sawyer wanting only _me_, and our finances taking such a beating?" he guessed. "Peyton, those things will pass."

She nodded, but was unable to comment on that. What could she say? He was presuming reasons for her return, but he wasn't even close. He wasn't even in the vicinity of close. It would crush him to learn the true reason.

"You want to give up, don't you?" he guessed again.

"What?" she asked, unsure what he referred to.

"Your art. You're thinking about letting it go, aren't you?"

"Luke..."

"I don't even know what to say about that," he said. "On the one hand, I miss you and I'd love to have you home full time again. But on the other hand, I feel you should think on it more, and not make a rushed decision just because it's harder than you thought. I think wasting your talent would be a huge mistake and that one day you'd regret it."

She opened her mouth to speak, but he wasn't finished.

"I do have one solution I think might work out for all of us," he said. "If we sell this house and Sawyer and I go to L.A. with you..."

"Luke, no..."

"Why not? Your dream is there, I can write just as well there as here, and Sawyer's too young to have grown roots yet."

"But you love Tree Hill," she argued.

"I love _you_ more."

"Luke, that's really sweet, ok, but I'm gonna need you to stop doing that."

"Doing what? Being considerate of you?"

"Yes," she cried, her tears already starting to spill. "Because I don't deserve it. _I'm_ not considerate of _you_. At least I haven't been for the last three months."

"I don't understand," he returned honestly. This was the second time tonight she'd said she didn't deserve it. "How exactly have you been inconsiderate when you know I support you chasing your dream? Peyton, I love you and I love being able to make your wishes come true. And if that means going to L.A., then..."

"I was unfaithful," she blurted out, knowing she'd never do it otherwise. So much for the practiced speech she'd gone over in her head a thousand times on the shuttle ride home.

His mouth instantly closed and he blinked several times as his mind struggled to comprehend what she'd just told him. "What do you mean?" he asked, his words coming out slow and unsure.

Really? He was a damn published writer and he needed clarification as to what unfaithful meant? To her it only meant she'd have to repeat it. "I mean," she started to explain, her eyes guilty, her tone shameful. "For the past three months in L.A., I've been having an affair."

She knew the exact moment her words sank in, for his own eyes narrowed with rage and he dropped her hands as though they were hot irons, burning his flesh.

...

"Ready to lose, Dad?" Jamie asked once Nathan joined him in the living room where the game was set up.

Nathan glanced at the boy who spoke as though he were the sure winner. He was already cocky. Yep, he was definitely his son. But Nathan, being Nathan, wasn't gonna let him talk smack, even if he was the most important thing in his life. He smiled good-naturedly and responded to the playful goading. "Buddy, last time we played this, you sucked. I beat you every game."

"Yeah, but I've been practising," the boy responded to the light-hearted taunt. "Like, _a lot._ I beat Uncle Skills three times in a row last time."

Nathan nodded impressively. It seemed his son had also inherited his competitive nature. He figured that wasn't such a bad thing to take after him for. "All right," he said cheerfully. "Let's see what ya got then."

Jamie smiled and Nathan felt his heart constrict. Things were going to change between him and Haley very soon, and he felt bad that Jamie would be caught in the crossfire. Yes, like Peyton had told him, Jamie would always be his son no matter what, but his parents separating would surely be a blow to the innocent eight year old. He only hoped the impact wouldn't be too painful. He himself had been older when his own parents had split up, and he'd been fine with it. He hoped Jamie would be too, despite his much younger age. He hoped people's claims that children bounced back quickly was really true. Jamie was a tough kid so, in all likelihood, he would come to terms fairly fast with his parents' separation. Probably faster than he himself would, seeing as he still wasn't okay with the thought of losing his precious saving grace. Even if it _was_ his own damn fault.

...

It was a long while before he spoke as he paced the floor, his mind reeling with the news he'd just received. An affair? No, that was impossible. They were Lucas and Peyton-the couple who'd cheated with each other on more than one occasion, but never _on_ each other. This had to be some kind of cruel joke.

"Lucas, I'm so sorry," Peyton cried, unable to think of anything useful to say.

He vaguely heard her through the muddled mess of his mind. "Tell me I'm not hearing this," he whispered softly. He _couldn't_ be hearing this because that would surely break his heart.

"I wish I could do that," she returned regretfully. "But you deserve to know the truth so..."

"I deserve to know the truth?" he repeated scornfully, anger setting in fast. "What I _deserve_ is a faithful wife," he said through gritted teeth. "Or maybe I don't," he went on. "Maybe this is karmic payback coming to bite me in the ass."

"No, Luke, that's crazy. Of course you deserve a wife's who's faithful, and I'm so sorry that I wasn't. You have to know that I didn't plan any of it. It just happened."

"Just happened?" he scoffed once more. "Just happened for three months?" he pointed out irately, remembering that detail of her confession now.

"I fell in love, Luke," she spoke softly. "I know that's probably not what you want to hear, and you probably hate me right now..."

He looked at her like she were some kind of disgusting insect crawling on the floor, and he shook his head in disbelief. "Three months and you're just telling me now," he said accusingly.

"I _wanted_ to tell you so many times," she admitted. "But I didn't know how to do it without hurting you."

"How _considerate_," he lashed out sardonically. "Instead you keep the affair going and pretend like you and I are all right. And damn fool that _I _am, I struggled every day to try to find ways you could stay in L.A. and fulfill your dream."

"You're not a fool, Luke..."

"No, you're right," he agreed. "You're just very good at make believe."

"Lucas, I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."

"You've been home at least twice a month since going to L.A., and you never once let on. You let me make love to you in that time," he gasped as the realization of that hit him.

She broke eye contact, ashamed to admit the truth of his words.

"How could you do that?" he questioned furiously. "How could you make fake love to me and then go back to L.A. and screw some other guy?"

"Luke, listen to me," she tried to explain. "What we had was never _fake_. I didn't want it to be like this, ok? I didn't ask or expect to fall in love with someone else, but I did and if I could take it back and do things the right way, I would. But I can't change what's already done. That doesn't mean what you and I had wasn't real."

The tears streamed down her cheeks as she practically _begged _him to understand.

He didn't. He _couldn't_. "Who is he?" he asked irately. "Does he know you're married with a daughter?"

"Yes," she answered faintly, but he heard her all the same. "He knows."

Lucas frowned at her answer. "Who is he?" he repeated. "Who is this son of bitch who can knowingly get between a family like that?"

...

"You _have_ been practising," Nathan said as Jamie won the second game in a row.

"See, I told you," his son boasted. "I've been practising _real_ basketball too, with Uncle Lucas," Jamie revealed. "But I'm still not as good as you."

Nathan chuckled at the comment. "I wasn't as good as I am when I was eight either," he said. "It took years of practice and hard work."

"With Grandpa Dan?" Jamie asked curiously.

Nathan considered the question a moment before finally nodding. "A lot of the time, yeah."

"When your season's over, will you teach me how to play better?"

"If that's what you want."

"It is," Jamie replied. "I want to play on the Ravens when I get to high school, just like you did. But I'm scared I won't be as good as you and Grandpa Dan and get my jersey on the wall."

"Oh, you _will_," Nathan assured him. "It's a Scott boy thing," he boasted. "We're meant to shine."

"Uncle Lucas doesn't have _his_ jersey on the wall and _he's _a Scott."

"Well, that's because Uncle Lucas got sick in high school and had to quit playing. If that hadn't happened, his jersey would be up there too."

"What if _I_ get sick in high school, like Uncle Lucas?"

"Not gonna happen."

"But what if it _does_ and I can't play basketball?"

"Then I guess you'd have to deal with it and find something else to do, like he did," Nathan replied honestly.

"Would you still be proud of me?"

Nathan stared at his son, taken back by the unexpected question. "Jamie, of course. You're my son and I'm gonna love you and be proud of you no matter what."

"Ok, just checking," Jamie responded happily.

"You don't have to check, you goof ball," Nathan returned lightly. "You're the best thing to happen to me."

"Then how come you didn't Skype with me yesterday?" Jamie asked him. "Mom said you fell asleep. Did you?"

Nathan could only nod because he couldn't tell his son the truth, but neither could he outright lie to him. "You ready for another one or what?" he asked by way of changing the subject.

"Ready," Jamie answered, anxious for another win.

...

Peyton opened her mouth to answer Luke's question, but snapped it shut, something stopping her. Probably Luke's already enraged state. "Just someone in L.A.," she said. It wasn't a lie.

"His name," Luke insisted.

"Does his name really matter?" she asked.

"The guy's been fucking my wife, so yeah, it matters!"

Her head shot up in alarm. In all the time she'd known Lucas, this was the first time she'd heard him use that word. "Luke," she called out, standing and attempting to reach for him. "Please calm down."

He laughed a dry, non-humorous laugh and jumped back from her touch. "Don't", he snarled crossly.

She pulled back, wisely heeding his warning.

"I want his name," he repeated for the third time.

"I'm sorry, I can't give you that," she replied, unsure whether she was trying to protect Lucas, Nathan, or herself. As it was, Lucas was far too angry and distraught to provide that information. How much worse would he be to learn the other guy was his own brother? "It's no one you know," she lied, unable to meet his eyes as she did so. There went telling him the _whole_ truth. Maybe he didn't have to know it all.

"Then why not tell me who he is?" Luke pushed.

"Because I know you'll go out searching for him and probably get yourself in trouble when you sucker punch him."

He laughed bitterly again at her reference to his behaviour with Julian a few years back. Yes, he'd sucker punched him, but the guy had deserved it, just as this new guy did. "Don't pretend like you give a damn about me," he said.

"I do give a damn, Luke. If you don't believe anything else, then believe _that_."

He simply scoffed at the statement.

"Besides that," Peyton continued. "He's married too."

He scowled at that bit of news. "See now, _that_ makes more sense," he said irately. "You're worried about _him_, not _me_."

"I'm worried about _both_ of you," she countered. "Lucas, trust me, I do still care about you. We've been through too much together not to, and it wouldn't do you any good to go chasing after him in a rage."

"Trust you?" he questioned scornfully, zoning in on that particular part of her statement. "You got a lot of nerve, you know that? Believe me when I say I could never trust you again."

"I just meant..."

"I don't care what you meant," he replied sharply. "Because you can go to hell. You and your new boytoy both."

"Luke..."

"You really do hate to see me happy, don't you?" he snarled. "Even if it's with _you_."

"No..."

"Well, congratulations, Peyton Scott, soon to be Peyton _Sawyer_ again. You broke me this time. Hope you're happy."

Before she could respond, he walked out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

And she flopped down on the couch sobbing, her body shaking violently from the force of it, before fishing her phone out of her purse and dialing Nathan's cell.

...

**A/N: Ahh, yeah I know, only a partial reveal. Sorry about that guys. All will come out at some point, I swear.**


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